UK 'loses' 30 kilograms of plutonium

The annual audit of nuclear material at all of Britain’s civil nuclear installations revealed that the plutonium — enough for seven or eight nuclear bombs — was classified as "material unaccounted for" last year.

The revelation that such a large amount of plutonium has apparently disappeared has been described as merely an "accounting issue" by British Nuclear Fuels, which operates the plant.

However, it is likely to cause embarrassment as the British Nuclear Group and the Department of Trade and Industry are weeks away from completing a huge shake-up in the nuclear industry, with the creation of an independent Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.