THE government this week announced it is to end local politicians’ vetoes to be able to block ‘nuclear waste repositories’ after Cumberland council overwhelmingly rejected their plans in 2013 to bury enough nuclear waste to fill six Albert Halls, with yet more capacity being needed to store additional waste from its plans to build future nuclear generating stations.

How typical of the present government this is, as if anyone voices opposition to their plans then it is just ignored, and they carry on regardless.

Ironically I was on the First Great Western service to London last Saturday and little did I realise that I caught my last glimpse of the three giant Didcot A cooling towers as the following Sunday morning at 5am they were obliterated by a controlled explosion.

Anyone questioning the decision to move away from coal powered stations is told it is in accordance with ‘EU green energy directives’. However, Germany is turning back to its vast coal reserves, until if possible it is able to provide sufficient energy from renewable resources after its decision to close nuclear power stations on safety grounds in the wake of the Fukushima disaster in Japan, who also look likely to follow suit.

Our government is hell bent upon a newly revised nuclear programme to provide French built reactors, ignoring all safety concerns, as are we not also an island similar to Japan and so it is not unthinkable for a similar scenario to occur no matter what the source of a tsunami.

The nuclear disaster at Fukushima has been much worse than the Japanese government would have the world believe, as it is so serious that they will never be able to get on top of the continuing radiation leaks.

There have been several scare stories in the media that within a couple of years the lights will go out and energy rationing will become the norm as we are reliant upon imported gas, but surely turning to the perverse alternative of nuclear generation, given its global safety record, should not be even contemplated by the government, let alone be implemented.

By following EU directives by rushing to do away with coal which we have an abundance of, aren’t we in danger of shooting ourselves in the foot, as we could shortly be witness to newly electrified railway routes that periodically grind to a standstill when the demand for electricity can no longer be addressed? Surely it would be much cheaper in the long run to look at scientific developments to make the burning of coal as efficient as possible so as to produce minimal polluting emissions.

For the safety of our generations of children and their children, the nuclear option is not an option and many people I’m sure will agree that we have been fortunate up until now that this country has not suffered its own Fukushima type disaster. I am sure that Germany will be burning coal as efficiently as possible for now, whilst being content in the knowledge that its population will never become the victim of the nuclear dragon that hates to be confined, and periodically makes its discontent known to mankind.

G A Woodward, Nelson Street, Swindon