By Anika Bourley Parliamentary Correspondent

Last updated at 12:58, Saturday, 20 March 2010

A security inspection will be carried out at Sellafield as part of a worldwide drive to stop the spread of materials needed to make nuclear weapons.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the International Atomic Energy Authority will carry out checks the reprocessing plant.

In a speech yesterday, Mr Brown said it was essential to prevent nuclear weapons and fissile materials falling into the hands of rogue states and international terrorists.

He said that Britain is joining US President Barack Obama’s drive to secure all fissile nuclear material across the world over the next four years.

Mr Brown said: “In line with this we will invite the International Atomic Energy Authority to carry out a security inspection at Sellafield. We will make funds available for similar inspections in areas of greatest concern.”

The Department for Energy and Climate Change said the IAEA had never previously inspected the Sellafield nuclear site in Cumbria, but regularly conducted security inspections on similar facilities in countries around the world.

It is expected that it would take at least six months before the UN watchdog started inspecting the site.

Mr Brown also used his speech to the Foreign Press Association to reiterate his support for the Trident nuclear deterrent, which the Lib Dems and some defence experts have called to be either scrapped or scaled back because of the debt crisis.

“We wish, of course, to see multilateral disarmament around the world and we are ready to contribute towards that,” he said.

“But in a world that is so insecure, particularly with other countries trying to acquire nuclear weapons, we do not see the case for us withdrawing the independent nuclear deterrent that we have,” he added.

First published at 09:05, Saturday, 20 March 2010
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk