MAJOR advances were made during 2006-2007 on decommissioning the old nuclear site at Winfrith.

An annual report by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority said: "There are now no longer any high-hazard nuclear facilities on the Winfrith site."

The report added that, during the financial year 2006-2007, significant progress had been made on many projects and the first phase involving the steam-generating heavy water reactor finished in March.

This ended the successful clearance of more than 250 rooms and areas within the secondary containment including the removal of a 120-ton condenser, redundant external facilities and a turbine alternator.

There was also significant progress at the post irradiation examination facility for reactor fuel and structure components.

The report said: "The decommissioning has reached the demolition stage, which is now at the point where all the above ground structures including the originally very highly contaminated cave lines have been demolished.

"Work is continuing with the removal of the below-ground structures such as services, storage holes and a base slab through to final ground remediation and backfill."

The report added that a waste encapsulation treatment plant had been designed and was now being operated to recover and encapsulate in 500-litre stainless steel drums the radioactive sludges which were the legacy of the reactor's operational days.

It said: "During the financial year 2006-2007, 198 drums of sludge were encapsulated and moved to the treated radwaste store. This work will continue until all of the sludge has been recovered and conditioned.

"Following this the plant, including the current sludge storage tanks, will be decontaminated, decommissioned and demolished with the site then being remediated and backfilled."

The report said all B2 buildings including a fissile materials store, office block and reactor hall were fully decommissioned and demolished during 2006-2007.

It said: "The site is now a grassed area and delicensing is underway. Once this has been completed the land will be offered for sale to English Partnerships as part of the original deal."

Winfrith also currently has 25 tonnes of sodium stored on site in a variety of different containers and work was going ahead to dispose of it. An open meeting run by the Winfrith Site Stakeholder Group to update residents on developments at the Winfrith site will be held in Winfrith Village Hall on October 30 at 6.30pm.