Resources for Future Generations No Longer a Consideration in GDF Location?

Letter sent by email 20th May 2026

Dear Mid-Copeland GDF Partnership,

In 2016 West Cumbria Mining produced a map of coal reserves under the Irish Sea. I have included an overlay to show where Sellafield is in relation to the coal bed measures as indicated by Mark Kirkbride CEO of WCM and now advisor with the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management

This map (attached) overlaps the Irish Sea Area of Focus for a GDF and indicates the coal measures extending into that area. The West Cumbria Aquifer described as a “Principle Aquifer” by the British Geological Society also hugs the coastline of the Western Lake District and would have to be tunnelled through in order to reach the depths of the proposed 1000m GDF. High Level Nuclear Waste would then travel through the aquifer for 200 years before closure of the proposed nuclear waste mine.. Fresh water aquifers are increasingly important even in areas of high rainfall such as the Lake District. This aquifer is already utilised by United Utilities and our descendants may well absolutely rely on access to this fresh water.

The area proposed for the GDF is methane rich as evidenced by West Cumbria Mining hitting a methane pocket and causing a gas leak in the Irish Sea. https://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/16750209.mining-crews-hit-gas-pocket-off-cumbrian-coast/

Previously areas for consideration for a deep nuclear dump excluded geological areas holding resources that future generations may want to access, inadvertently releasing a tsunami of high level radioactive wastes in the process. 

Given the latest push for a GDF on the Lake District coast is this exclusion of resource rich areas no longer the case?

I look forward to your reply.

Yours sincerely

Marianne Birkby

on behalf of Lakes Against Nuclear Dump, a Radiation Free Lakeland campaign

Map showing the Nuclear Dump plan (hatched blue), coal reserves (dark grey), faults (light grey) and the West Cumbria Aquifer (blue)

note: the Lake District Boundary Fault, not shown on the map runs alongside the aquifer