§ Mr. Hoyleasked the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if lorries carrying nuclear loads normally pass through urban areas; whether in such cases any warning is given to the police or other authorities in the areas concerned; what precautions are taken in case of a road accident; and what emergency services would be called into play in such an accident;
(2) what markings have to be borne by lorries carrying nuclear loads to indicate to other road users that a dangerous load is being carried; and if a police escort is normally provided.
§ Mr. HoramThe safety of all radioactive material in transit is ensured by the type of packaging used which varies according to the level of radioactivity involved. In the case of irradiated nuclear fuel elements, the flasks used are designed to standards which would enable them to withstand very severe accident conditions.
Flasks are transported to reprocessing plants by the quickest or most convenient 31W route. The starting and destination points of individual journeys may, however, mean that a vehicle carrying a nuclear load has to pass through urban areas. Because safety is a built-in feature of the design a police escort is not provided for such loads nor is it considered necessary to advise the police or other authorities in the areas concerned about these movements.
In the event of a road accident, the National Arrangements for Incidents involving Radioactivity (NAIR) would he brought into effect. The police would normally be involved first, and they are able to summon assistance from experts in radioactivity. The fire services who may also be called to the scene of an accident are fully aware of these emergency arrangements.
The statutory regulations governing the transport of radioactive materials by road are the Radioactive Substances (Carriage by Road) (Great Britain) Regulations 1974 (S.I., No. 1735, 1974). These regulations and the supporting codes of practice are based upon internationally agreed standards formulated by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
These regulations require vehicles to be placarded with hazard diamonds, which incorporate the word "RADIOACTIVE" and the international trefoil symbol.