By Alan Irving

Last updated 15:57, Wednesday, 26 March 2008

NEXT week marks the end of an era for Windscale. From Tuesday, it will become part of the main Sellafield site under new nuclear licensing arrangements.

Windscale’s operational start was in 1947, producing plutonium for the UK’s atomic weapons programme. Ten years later one of the two reactor piles caught fire and caused Britain’s worst nuclear accident. Neither reactor ever worked again but a year after the site became the home of the Windscale AGR (known as the giant golf ball), forerunner for the UK’s advanced gas-cooled reactor programme.

In 1971 the site was split into two with the formation of BNFL and the main complex – renamed Sellafield – was operated by BNFL, and the UKAEA still managing the piles and the WAGR.

Copeland MP Jamie Reed has welcomed reports of a keynote announcement set to be made by PM Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy when the two men hold two day summit talks in London which started yesterday.

As the News went to press, the two men were expected to announce a new agreement between Britain and France on civil nuclear technologies and nuclear power.

Mr Reed said, “Nuclear co-operation between France and Britain has been happening at Sellafield for many years with some real success.

“I have raised these points with the PM and with his predecessor and I know that they understand the importance of this co-operation, as does John Hutton. Announcements such as this are of the utmost importance to Sellafield and West Cumbria and illustrate the wisdom of close working relationships within the EU.

“I will work tirelessly to make this relationship work – the potential opportunities for the Sellafield workforce are astonishing.”