Nuclear regulators have removed an improvement notice served on Sellafield Ltd.

The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) rapped the nuclear firm in 2015 following a number of issues at the Magnox plant. However it today revealed that the plant now complies with standards and the legal notice has been removed.

Although no harm or release of radioactivity had occurred, says the ONR, the notice was in response to shortfalls in the way operating instructions had been followed at the Magnox facility.

Dr Richard Savage, chief nuclear inspector at the ONR, said: "We served this improvement notice after identifying weaknesses in one area of the multiple safety barriers in place at the Magnox Reprocessing Plant.

"It is pleasing that the detailed improvement plan that was introduced in response to our legal notice has achieved the improvements we required, and that these have been delivered on time by the licensee.

"We will of course continue to regulate this plant as part of our ongoing scrutiny of the Sellafield site, and our broader public duty to ensure the nuclear industry maintains the high standards required by the law."

A Sellafield Ltd spokesperson said: "The ONR issued an improvement notice to us in August 2015 following concerns relating to our compliance with instructions. As a result, we implemented a programme of improvements.

“We are happy that we have satisfied the ONR’s concerns. The reprocessing plant is invaluable to the Magnox operating programme which is a key priority for the UK as it supports hazard and risk reduction both on and off the Sellafield site.”