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Odd going's on at Southwold and Sizewell!


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Hadn't noticed this thread had disappeared with the re-install until just now... here it is again

When we were passing abeam Sizewell, there was a very interesting monitoring vessel anchored at the end of the long out flow - it looked somewhat like an old Russian spy trawler and a little like 'Interceptor' which is in Lake Lothing. - for some reason this grabbbed my attention and I photographed it (Photo's on the other camera which I shall upload when I get home at the end of the week!

If that wasn't odd enough, when we were at Southwold on Thursday, a couple of environmental agency vans were there, taking water samples and at around 11 in the morning some environmental inspectors turned up with some of the British Nuclear Constabulary and started going over all the vessels in the harbour with Geiger counters.

They said to us that it was purely routine (Again I have photos) but upon speaking to the Harbour Master there he said he had never known this to happen before...

Can anyone shed any light onto these strange occurances???

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I don't trust the Nuclear industry any further than I could throw them.

They will ony tell you what they want you to hear, especially when they want to build another Nuclear Power Station.

I saw on Anglia TV a while back, that households in Leiston and other villages close to Sizewell, are issued with a supply of Potassium Iodate tablets (I think that's the correct name), to prevent radiation being taken up by the Thyroid gland, in the case of a radiation leak at the plant.

With all the best safeguards in place, the risk of an unforseen accident must always be present. Remember Chernobyl!!.

Dave

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Hi Dave good to meet you on Saturday, if you do still want the ballast I have now located it, I had relocated it into the Marina owners shed but as it is not in use I can bring it over the weekend if you like.

Regards Chernobyl I have done a bit of work for the nuclear industry and even though I am sure the people I have dealings with are not told everything and not allowed to let out everything I am told I was given a fairly in depth explanation of why the power stations that operate in Europe can not physically do what the Russian plan did.

The risk of accident is always present and the consequences of a major nuclear incident are probably greater than other power sources but it is the only viable energy out there at the moment to replace our dependence on oil, and the safeguards that are in place make it as safe as it can be.

I have even heard of plans to create nuclear power plants capable of running a leisure boat or car. will be ok until the local ford monkey strips it down. :o

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I watched a programme last night about the building of the newest Nuclear powered submarine at Barrow-in-Furness. The locals in the town are all issued Potassium Iodate tablets too, and warnings were given when they powered on the reactor for the first time in the new boat. It's the first one to be powered up for over 10 years and the locals were completely unfazed by it.

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Something is going on,every time I read My Littleboats posts :River Police:River Police ,my laptop starts glowing!!!!

That's because I am hacking in to it to see what other sites you are looking at!! :)

Seriously, I now have visions of a Homer Simpson type character, looking at 40 year old vertical guages on the slowly decomissioning MAGNOX reactor, deciding to empty the reactor pile of water into the sea outflow and as I now tuck into my three-eyed fish, wonder why I'm glowing like the ready-brek kid!

Something very odd seems to have been afoot - will pst pics at the weekend when I am home!

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With all the best safeguards in place, the risk of an unforseen accident must always be present. Remember Chernobyl!!

If you've ever read up on the Russian drive towards nuclear submarines you will see why the you need not necessarily worry about a Chernobyl in the UK / Europe. Let's just say the Russians were not exactly applying quite the same standards as the west when it came to these things.

In fact, in the case of the subs, it was entirely the case that the sailors were expendable (even to radiation sickness) if it prevented the Americans from getting ahead in the race to introduce new technology.

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Have noticed Southwold advertising an outdoor heated Harbour for winter moorings. :naughty::naughty:

All the Harbour staff are new this year so it may just be that they have not witnessed it before but it does seem odd that no one seems to have heard it commented on in the past.

If there had been a minor incident I am fairly sure that everything possible would be done to keep it under wraps but if the Northern Lights are joined by the Northern sea as a natural phenomena it could raise suspicions. :River Police:River Police

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I seem to remember a TV documentary recently which informed that Sizewell B was currently undergoing repairs and will not be producing power for the rest of this year. It also said that the fuel rods had been removed and placed in safe storage. Maybe they have laid them on the sea bed in Southwold Harbour. :naughty:

cheersbar

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My Chernobyl comment was 'tongue in cheek', and I am well aware that Western European safety standards and technology are in totally different league, to the likes of Chernobyl.

I am also good friends with a senior engineer at the Sizewell plant, but he will not talk about any aspect if its considered 'strictly in-house' information. :norty:

Am also aware that Nuclear Engery is here to stay (its got a 'half life' of thousands of years ;) ), and that fossil fuels will eventually run out, while wind turbines will only meet a fraction of our needs.

However, that still doesn't alter the fact that nuclear fuel (even when expended) is deadly to man and beast, if it gets loose.

What's left over has to be transported by rail in special flasks to places like Sellafield, and it remains so deadly, that the only thing we can do with it, is to bury deep underground in bedrock. So the term 'clean energy' is a bit misleading.

That said, we are stuck with it, and can only hope that a serious incident never happens.

Dave

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Hi Dave good to meet you on Saturday, if you do still want the ballast I have now located it, I had relocated it into the Marina owners shed but as it is not in use I can bring it over the weekend if you like.

Good to meet you and Heather too :)

If all goes to plan, then we should be at the WRC for the weekend, so yes please to the ballast, if its no hassle to bring it.

cheersbar Dave

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Hadn't noticed this thread had disappeared with the re-install until just now... here it is again

Cover up

Have the photo's been erased from your camera as well :grin::grin:

Come on Gav post the pic's if you haven't been got at :naughty: .

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Oooh Heck fella!

My best suggestion would be to wait till it gets dark tonight, turn out the lights and ask SWMBO if you glow in the dark...if you do, seek medical advice :lol::lol::lol:

:o:o:o

And those photos are on the camera at home too!!! :naughty::naughty::naughty:

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Had this back from a friend who knows a little about these things.

Didn't doubt you for a minute Gav just working the cover up theory.

blimey

that is definitely not routine- used to work for the EA - they do loads of water sampling as routine but should always take the samples a long way away from boats/harbours to avoid localised contamination.

Going over boats in a harbour 15 miles away from a nuc site with a geiger counter is WAY outside routine. Oh and the british nuclear constabulary - see below- are armed coppers protecting nuclear facilities!! what the hell are they doing taking "routine " samples I thought I knew more than most about water sampling (10 yrs in the profession) but this is new to me- if its routine!!!.

The Civil Nuclear Constabulary currently employs over 700 Police Officers and Police Staff at a number of locations throughout Great Britain.

It is the statutory duty of the CNC and, therefore, the primary function of CNC staff, to protect nuclear material both on Civil Nuclear Licensed sites and whilst in transit, in Great Britain and elsewhere. This is carried out on behalf of the Government, by providing an Armed Police Service to Nuclear Operators such as UKAEA, British Nuclear Group, Urenco and British Energy.

The CNC have a dedicated team of Police Staff who are mainly based at Culham in Oxfordshire and at the Constabulary Training Centre in Cumbria. In addition, all Operational Units have administration support and some also employ police staff in roles such as kennel assistants. - from their web site

Their website has pics of coppers sporting automatic weapons - not a geiger counter in sight! These are not people to argue with - god alone knows what they are trained for - my imagination shuts down when it gets to 'really chuffing scary' and its gone off for a cup of tea and a sit down right now.

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I have even heard of plans to create nuclear power plants capable of running a leisure boat or car. will be ok until the local ford monkey strips it down. :o

oooh...nuclear powered Kad 32's....now I like that idea! :naughty::naughty::naughty:

lb :pirate

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Now Im worried.. Cant help noticing the similarity between this boat and Interceptor in Hamilton Dock - Oddly I could identify just about every antenna on that vessel too, and some of those are def Band 3 / Tetra / GSM arrays..

Im sure the guy doing the monitiring had BE Nuclear Agency written on his back and on the american style badges on his sleve tops. He was making it absolutely clear that everything was 'routine' which I always find an odd statement to make as it usually signifies that it plainly isn't

Oddly enough, even if sizewell had a chernobyl level melt down we would never find out because of legislation that was put in place during the last few parliaments, no public announcement would ever be made and the first anyone would know would be the increase of activity.. Now Im not suggesting anything like that has happened, but something is definitely not 'normal' nor 'routine' and they were very shifty when it came to cameras, hence the long lens shot when he wasnt watching..

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Think you are quite correct Luke but not in the way you were thinking.

Instead health and safety would have them all in full anti radiation suits at the merest fraction of a chance that someone could become contaminated.

Gav, I came in as the interceptor was coming out of Lowestoft and it definitely looked like they were off on a family jolly rather than a a survey but then maybe that was a cover. The bridge did lift for them outside of normal leisure openings so technically it mus be commercial.

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Think you are quite correct Luke but not in the way you were thinking.

Instead health and safety would have them all in full anti radiation suits at the merest fraction of a chance that someone could become contaminated.

Whilst I would normally agree with you Ian - I think in this instance I would presume that H&S would be politely told to sod off !!

While certainly not trying to scare monger, I would of thought that this isn't a common occurance - I wait to be told that I'm wrong, and that would be the reason they are kitted up with the logo's etc, but if its not a common thing, then wearing the uniforms would obviously put a little chill in the willie of a lot of people... as it has !

I had a green poo today - I wonder.... lol !

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