Aug 14 - Sunday Herald

The British nuclear industry has reported 39 lapses in security against terrorism in the past year, including laptop thefts, internet misuse, a power cut and lightning strikes.

The failings are revealed in a report from the Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS), the government watchdog responsible for ensuring nuclear power stations and radioactive waste facilities are protected from terrorist attacks.

The revelations have disturbed experts and environmentalists, who are calling for security to be tightened. The OCNS has itself warned of "complacency" on leaks of sensitive nuclear information.

According to the OCNS report, eight breaches in information security were reported in the year to March 31. They included "the theft of laptops from parked vehicles" and "inappropriate transmission of restricted information over the internet", the report said.

"Assessments suggest that no major damage had occurred, but the fact that they continue to happen reinforces the enduring need to combat complacency.

The information security inspector continues to work closely with security managers within the industry to raise the standard of personal security awareness."

OCNS also expressed concern about "additional security challenges" posed by the growing use of wireless computer networks and portable e-mail devices like the Blackberry. "OCNS has devoted considerable effort working with the industry and central security authorities to minimise the security risks, " it said.

Nuclear plant operators reported a further 26 breaches of site security to OCNS last year. They included "a failure of mains power at a control room", "lightning causing alarm faults" and "spoil being placed too close to a perimeter fence".

Five security lapses in nuclear transports were reported, though they were described as "minor". In total, OCNS oversaw 2100 movements of nuclear materials during the year.

Overall, OCNS director Roger Brunt nevertheless concluded that civil nuclear security was satisfactory. "I am satisfied that the security of nuclear material has not been prejudiced, " he said.

But this hasn't reassured everyone.

"As the threat from terrorism continues to grow, these incidents are disturbing, " said Friends of the Earth Scotland's chief executive, Duncan McLaren.

"They may appear trivial to some, but if they are not acted upon the nuclear industry is literally leaving the door open for those who might wish to deliberately do mischief, or worse."

Pete Roche, a nuclear consultant based in Edinburgh, questioned whether "dangerous nuclear technology" was compatible with an open and democratic society. "Isn't it time we stopped exacerbating the problems we have already created for ourselves by planning even more reactors and potential terrorist targets?" he said.

The risks of nuclear terrorism have also been highlighted in a new study on the security of industrial radioactive sources in Iran. More than 80 sources of material capable of being made into "dirty bombs" were discovered to be outwith regulatory control or vulnerable to theft.

Outside hospitals and the nuclear industry, radiation is used in some 500 factories and universities across Iran to measure and test materials. Scientists from the Iranian Nuclear Regulatory Authority sampled 48 of them to check how well the sources were looked after.

Inthe latest issue of Radiation Protection Dosimetry, the researchers reported 39 lost or abandoned sources at five sites. They said a further 49 radioactive sources were vulnerable to theft or damage.

According to Dr Frank Barnaby, a nuclear security consultant with the Oxford Research Group, there was a real risk of radioactive sources being stolen and combined with conventional explosives to make a "dirty bomb".

"It's absolutely amazing that this hasn't been done already, " he told the Sunday Herald. "I'm surprised that those who plotted the latest airline attack didn't go for dirty bombs. It would have been easier for them to get away with."

NEED TO KNOW

THE FACTS In the past year there have been 39 nuclear security lapses in the UK.

BACKGROUND The Office for Civil Nuclear Security regulates security at 34 nuclear sites and last year monitored 27 counter- terrorism exercises.

NEED TO KNOW MORE?

http: //tinyurl. com/z6wbw Office for Civil Nuclear Security reports.

http: //tinyurl. com/kqcx9 Radiation Protection Dosimetry.

http: //tinyurl. com/k4crv Oxford Research Group.

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