A TOP level report has expressed concern over safety at Heysham's nuclear power stations.

A leaked report from the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) says staff levels have been reduced so much that safety cover could prove inadequate if an incident occurred.

Environment campaigners say the report mirrors their own safety concerns as the industry gears up to privatisation but bosses at Heysham 1 and 2 have stressed that safety is their top priority.

More than 300 jobs have been axed at the local power stations and the NII report, which looked at all the nuclear power stations owned by British Energy, says staff are overworked and the company could lose its licence if there are any more job cuts. Nationally, 15 per cent of the workforce has left since 1996 while company profits have increased from £61 to £298. A local environment campaigner said: "We've seen time and time again that when a public company is being groomed to be sold off, they cut staff to boost profits which inevitably leads to a reduction in safety levels. When we're talking about nuclear power there is no room for error. If less staff are doing more work, they are more likely to make mistakes."

Nuclear bosses said the leaked document was a preliminary report designed to provoke discussion as part of a consultation process.

A nuclear industry spokesman said: "Basically the NII has come back to us with their findings and asked: what do you think? This is the procedure we follow to ensure that the highest standards are maintained. It's up to us to respond and convince them that we have all the staff necessary to handle any incident. We never compromise on safety, it's our first priority."

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