Staff will no longer be allowed to share work vehicles at Cumbria's nuclear site from next week.

The new rule, which was introduced following updates to Covid guidance, will ban Sellafield workers from sharing supply chain vehicles.

From Monday (January 25), supply chain vehicles also won’t be allowed to enter the Sellafield site or Yottenfews car park unless occupants are two metres apart or they have special permission.

Sharing private cars or smaller work vehicles is already prohibited.

Rebecca Weston, Sellafield Ltd chief operating officer, said: “We continually review our Covid-19 response to ensure it reflects the latest guidance.

“We have encouraged people not car to share if possible for some time now. We are now stepping up the enforcement of that guidance to all vehicles operating on the site."

The move reflects growing concern that people sitting too close together in vehicles is fuelling the spread of the virus.

A quarter of close contacts identified through Sellafield’s test and trace facility are as a result of people sharing a vehicle with others not in their household bubble.

Ms Weston continued: “The changes will help reduce a known transmission route, identified via our tracing team.

“We know this will be challenging for our supply chain and may have an impact on the amount of work we can deliver.

“But our priority is always the safety and wellbeing of everyone working on site.”

Under the new rules, those using crew buses must be two metres apart, and work vans and crew-cabs are single occupancy only.

Where this isn’t possible, mitigation measures can be put in place, subject to approval.

For more details, visit the staff news and information section of the Sellafield Ltd website.