A highly successful march was held on Wednesday to protest against plans by Devonport Dockyard to increase amounts of radioactive waste pumped into the River Tamar.

Marchers, many in fancy dress, gathered in the car park behind the Brunel Inn, Saltash, and then made their way across the Tamar Bridge to the Dockyard, operated by DML.

A petition of 6,500 signatures, calling for plans to increase amounts of tritium being dumped in the river by around 700% to be abandoned, was handed to an Environment Agency official.

March organiser, Allissun McDermott, said that Wednesday was chosen as it was the last day on which public consultation over DML's plans - put forward because of proposals to refit and refuel nuclear submarines at Devonport - remained open.

Allissun, now living near Tavistock, attended school at Saltash, fished the Tamar when young, and used to canoe in the waters off Cargreen. She said she had no idea what the response to her idea for a march would be, but she was delighted with the outcome, which she sees as just the beginning of a long process.

She hopes a public inquiry will be heard, as over 5,000 signatures had been gathered on the petition - enough to demonstrate the depth of feeling over the matter. She said that she would like to see an absolute end to the dumping of nuclear waste into the Tamar, and feels instead all such waste should be put into safe storage until sufficient scientific technology is developed to ensure it can be dealt with harmlessly.

She pointed out that there should be zero tolerance to disposing of nuclear waste into air or water, and that there are very few other areas in the entire world, if any, where nuclear work and dumping would be carried out in the middle of such a populated area.

Nuclear

The march was not only joined by representatives of national organisations such as Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, and Surfers against Sewage, it was attended by members of Campaign Against Nuclear Storage and Radiation (CANSAR) which was founded by Ian Avent, and many individuals. Among the individuals were Pam Jewell, Val Cossins and Sylvia Wilde of the Callington area, and Sue Dent-Cowan of Pensilva.

Val said she was furious about the plans, and Sue said she had taken a day off work so she could demonstrate her feelings. Jan Duff had made her way to Saltash from Plymouth - to march back again with her dog Jess - to show the strength of her opposition. Mr Avent said the only certainty where 'low level radiation and tritium is concerned is that there is too much uncertainty. We need a public enquiry.'

People

Allissun stressed she would like to see environmentally friendly, viable solutions found to such problems using eco technology. She urged the Environment Agency to listen to the voice of the ordinary people, and to widen the scope of experts they consult with, and not place so much emphasis on the views of DML.

She said: 'People point out that jobs would be lost, but I am sure that if nuclear waste is put into proper storage this would create jobs in itself.'

DML say that they would reduce emissions of other matter, such as Cobalt 60.