The following letter was sent to the Times in response to the article in last sunday’s paper. (extracts from the article below the letter)
Sent by Email to The Times 17th March 2026
Dear Editor
Governments have been trying to get shot of nuclear waste for decades (The troubled search for Britain’s deep sea nuclear graveyard: Adam Vaughan 16.03.26).
Having failed to bury it under the Lake District multiple times, the latest desperate plan is to bury it in a massive, multi-level sub-sea mine, apparently now 50 sq km and 1000 metres deep, off the Lake District coastline conveniently close to Sellafield.
The size keeps increasing, to accommodate ever hotter nuclear wastes.
What the Sunday Times article does not highlight is that Nuclear Waste Services are being advised (via the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management) on investigative boreholes and deep mining by Mark Kirkbride, the mining engineer who is also the CEO of West Cumbria Mining.
The same West Cumbria Mining is suing the UK Government for refusing the go-ahead for its coal mine. One of the many environmental reasons the coal mine was rejected is that it would cause subsidence in a fragile area.
This is a scandal. Investigative journalists could ask: “will mining this giant void near Sellafield cause subsidence, earthquakes, or not? Is Mark Kirkbride set to gain from this scenario on both counts? Is he even giving good advice remembering why his coal mine was rejected?
No wonder Nuclear Waste Services have secured the services of three lots of law firms at the expense (to the public purse) of £44 Million each to try and deflect the slew of lawsuits likely to be heading their way.
yours sincerely
Marianne Birkby
Lakes Against Nuclear Dump, a Radiation Free Lakeland campaign
notes:
Mark Kirkbride https://www.gov.uk/government/people/mark-kirkbridg
WCM sue UK Govnt https://www.globaljustice.org.uk/news/britain-sued-in-corporate-court-over-quashing-of-coal-mine-in-cumbria/
Lawfirms contract – research by Radiation Free Lakeland
£44 MILLION contract each to three law firms
https://bidstats.uk/tenders/2025/W39/855310505
Note from Radiation Free Lakeland – the plan is going ahead on the say so of just a handful of councillors – there has never been a full discussion or full vote by Cumberland Council – there is a petition urging a full vote here
Lakes Against Nuclear Dump 
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