FEARS have been raised about the transport of deadly cargoes of nuclear waste through the borough of Bromley.

A crash or de-railment could lead to a doomsday scenario with lives lost and land contaminated, environmentalists said last week.

The stark warning came as Bromley and Orpington CND addressed a meeting and urged councillors to lobby the Association of London Government to take action.

Bromley CND spokesman Fred Ferebee said: "Everybody should be worried.

"If radioactive material spilt it would seriously affect people who live and work nearby and would be extremely difficult for the emergency services to deal with.

"We are urging alternative routes avoiding densely populated areas like Greater London.

"We were extremely pleased the councillors gave the matter serious consideration."

Bromley's Environmental Services Committee last week agreed to look at information supplied by CND and to request the ALG carry out a risk assessment.

Weekly trains travel from Dungeness in Kent to St Mary Cray or Orpington and go through Chislehurst, Elmstead Woods and Grove Park before stopping at Hither Green.

From there they go to Willesden, north London and on to Sellafield where waste is re-processed.

Trains - average speed 45mph - carrying flasks have travelled through Bromley for 20 years without a serious accident.

But CND argues the rail network has become less safe since privatisation.

There were three de-railments of nuclear trains last year.

And CND points to the Health and Safety Executive's damning report into the 1997 Bexley rail disaster as evidence of the network's problems.

Mr Ferebee added: "The point we are making is the state of track is a new factor which isn't good for the safe transport of these flasks.

"The worst scenario would be a fire because that would turn the flask into a pressure cooker and could result in the escape of highly dangerous radioactive material."

Railtrack spokesman Kevin Groves said: "If you accept we are a nuclear country and we have got to get these flasks from A to B, the safest way for it to go is by rail.

"The railways are safer than ever before and 20 times safer than road transport.

"The de-railments CND are referring to were in sidings at less than walking pace - there have been no high-speed de-railments."

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