A military helicopter came within two seconds of causing a nuclear disaster in the Midlands, a secret document has revealed. A fuel-laden Chinook travelling at up to 150 mph missed a reactor toweratBerkeleynuclear power station in Gloucestershire by just 80 feet. Experts have warned that a direct hit could have created a massive dirty bomb with nuclear fallout spreading over hundreds of miles stretching from the West Country to the West Midlands. Details of the scare were leaked to the Sunday Mercury after an MP quizzed the Ministry of Defence about the number of near-miss incidents involving aircraft and nuclear plants. Llew Smith, Labour MP for Blaenau Gwent, discovered there had been 59 reported incidents of aircraft breaching stringent no-fly zones over UK nuclear power plants, which were tightened after the September 11 terror attacks. Of those incidents, three took place at Berkeley power station, where decommissioning began in 1989. Last week, the MoD lodged details of the no-fly zone infringements within the House of Commons Library - but made no official statement about the helicopter near-miss. They included in-depth reports by the Defence Flying Complaints Investigation Team into each incident, copies of which have been obtained by the Sunday Mercury. Investigating teams found that infringements to no-fly zones, which restricts planes coming within two miles or 2,000 ft of nuclear power stations, had occurred on three occasions at Berkeley. On November 26, 2003, a Chinook helicopter flew over the power station, coming dangerously close to the towers, and landed within its grounds without permission; On April 4, 2002, an RAF helicopter entered the no-fly zone, and On November 21, 2001 two US F15 planes intruded into the restricted air space before flying up the Severn estuary. Of the breaches, the Chinook helicopter incident is by far the most serious. It came within 80ft of the two reactor towers at Berkeley, which contain an estimated 2,000 tons of radioactive graphite. Travelling at 150 mph, it was seconds away from hitting the tower and sparking a major disaster. A Berkeley employee gave evidence to the Defence Flying Complaints Investigation Team about the incident. The report reads: On November 26, 2003, she (the witness) was in her office within the administration block at the nuclear licensed site when she heard, then observed, a military helicopter flying within the vicinity of the two main reactor core towers. Whilst continuing to observe the helicopter, her view became obstructed by buildings. She went to the eastern side of the building to continue to observe the helicopter, which landed briefly on the grass in front of the Sports and Social Club, prior to taking off and heading south-west. She estimated that in her initial siting of the helicopter, it was flying only slightly higher than the height of the reactor towers (120ft). A second Berkeley eyewitness corroborated her evidence. Whilst out walking within the centre of Berkeley Centre he heard, then observed, a military helicopter flying near the power station central car park, the report reads. He estimated that the height of the helicopter was approximately 200ft and stated that it was flying in south-south-west heading. Last night, news of the near-miss at the nuclear site sparked fear and outrage among local anti-nuclear campaigners. Spokesman Jim Duffy said that despite the site being decommissioned, it still contained dangerous radioactive material. The two reactor towers mentioned by the eyewitness contain 2,000 tons of radioactive graphite, he said. If an aircraft crashed into them it would cause what could only be described as a massive dirty bomb effect. People talk about dirty bombs as being the size of a suitcase, but this kind of explosion would be on a monstrous scale. Chinook helicopters are transport carriers, which are fairly heavy. If one of those crashed into the towers it would cause a fire if not an explosion. Even a fire would send plumes of radioactive material into the atmosphere, which could be carried for miles by the wind and affect large areas. With prevailing winds, Gloucester, Cheltenham and Birmingham could all be affected by the fallout, which could spread over hundreds of miles. Mr Duffy is now urging the Government to issue potassium iodate tablets, which would minimise the health affects of a nuclear disaster, to all homes in the area. The tablets carry the radioactive material to the thyroid gland, where it is flushed out, said the activist who has also been campaigning to close the power station at Hinkley Point, Somerset. It is a simple and effective procedure which could save millions of lives in the event of a nuclear disaster. That is why the Government should be predistributing these pills to families as they have done in Ireland. Stroud MP David Drew, whose constituency covers Berkeley, said the prospect of an aircraft crashing into a nuclear power station was a worrying aspect of modern life. Berkeley is still radioactive and if there is a no-fly zone in place then it should be respected, he said. Mr Smith, the Welsh MP who uncovered the no-fly zone infringements, added: The consequence, should a crash occur, would be an unimaginable catastrophe. Breaches to the no-fly zones were also discovered at Chapelcross, near Dumfries; Torness, near Dunbar, and Dungeness in Kent. Jean McSoreley, head of Greenpeaces anti-nuclear campaign in the UK, said that if a plane crashed into any of the active power stations the result could be catastrophic. She added: There would be a risk if a plane flew into Berkeley power station but it wouldnt be as devastating as if it happened at an active plant like Sellafield in Cumbria. Professor John Walker, a former head of reactor physics at Birmingham University, said: I wouldnt have thought there would be much nuclear damage even 10 miles away. But we have to be extremely careful in looking after nuclear reactors to ensure we protect people against even mildly radioactive material being spread into the atmosphere. Last night the MoD confirmed the November 26 near-miss which was blamed on human error. A spokesman said: On November 26 a Chinook helicopter breached the no-fly zone around Berkeley power plant. The airmen had sought permission to land at the site, which has a designated landing patch. However, unbeknown to them their request had not been cleared. But there is a manual with published procedures for landing safely at the site, which they would have had in their possession, so there should have been no danger to the facility. A spokesman for British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL), which runs the site at Berkeley, said: No-fly zones exist around nuclear power plants to prevent aircraft flying too low, below 2,000 ft or within two nautical miles. We report any incidents to the Civil Aviation Authority, who have responsibility for the restricted zones. If we identify the aircraft as military aircraft then we also alert the MoDs complaints department. It is then a matter for the appropriate authorities to take the appropriate action. The Civil Aviation Authority declined to comment. The report also detailed how eye-witnesses claimed two military jets breached the no-fly zone over Oldbury Power Station in Thornbury, Gloucestershire, last May. They estimated the planes were flying at 300 ft over the plant, but an investigation found no evidence to back the claims. | 
