Dog contaminated at Scottish nuclear power station

An 11 year old terrier called Chip was playing near Chapelcross nuclear power station when it disappeared down a hole. It was eventually persuaded to come back out. When it did nuclear workers were waiting with geiger counters to check it for radiation. As the readings were high the dog was taken into the power station to be hosed down and decontaminated.

The incident happened on 21st March this year and was reported to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. SEPA said that they had no records that this pipe existed. It had been used in the past to discharge water from the power station into the Solway Firth.

Chapelcross is the oldest and most dangerous nuclear power station in Scotland. It is kept going, not because of the need for the electricity it produces, but because it is the only plant in Britain which produces tritium, which is a vital component for Trident nuclear weapons. In its earlier days it used to also produce plutonium for bombs.