NUCLEAR waste allegedly leaked from a site at Bradwell power station for 14 years before the problem was discovered.
A court heard yesterday how the poor original design of a sump used to hold the waste and the lack of routine inspection or maintenance led to the leaks.
The owners of the former power station face a total of 11 charges brought under the 1993 Radioactive Substances Act of unlawfully allowing waste to leak from a decontamination unit.
A jury at Chelmsford Crown Court was told the alleged leaks lasted for 14 years from March 1990 to February 2004.
The trial continues.
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