Watchdog drops extra Sellafield security checks
ONRA watchdog has dropped the requirement for extra security checks at the UK's largest nuclear site.
Sellafield, near Seascale in Cumbria, was under "enhanced" scrutiny by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) for its physical security - measures against "theft and sabotage of nuclear materials".
The ONR said it could not make public what had triggered the escalation from routine monitoring due to security issues, but said the requirement was dropped following "sustained improvements".
The site remains under "significantly enhanced attention" for cyber security, the ONR added.
A report published in October by the Chief Nuclear Inspector at the ONR said there had been "historic delays in the delivery of physical security programmes" at Sellafield.
Gary Wilkinson, head of security and resilience at the site, said the lowering of the monitoring was achieved with work "over many months".
"This is a significant achievement and has been a big team effort across the company," he said.
Paul Dicks, the ONR's director of regulation for Sellafield, said the watchdog had worked closely with the site to deliver the improvements.
The ONR added that it had more than 50 inspectors regulating the site.