Planes and ships from the Irish navy and air force will shadow a consignment of radioactive fuel as it moves through the Irish Sea to Sellafield this month.

Patrol vessels and reconnaissance aircraft will watch over the five tonne cargo of plutonium and uranium mixed oxide (Mox).

The fuel is being shipped to the Cumbrian installation from Takahama in Japan.

An Irish Department of Defence official said: "We will be deploying resources as appropriate on an ongoing basis as regards the Mox shipment.

Ireland fears radioactive discharges

"It would obviously involve the use of Naval Service ships and Air Corps reconnaissance aircraft."

The decision, following a meeting of the Irish Government's Emergency Task Force on Tuesday, comes amid public outcry about the shipment in Ireland.

It also marks a U-turn in Dublin, as last week marine minister Dermot Ahern rejected calls by the environment group Greenpeace for the Irish defence forces to be deployed.

The cargo ships, the Pacific Pintail and the Pacific Teal, are to arrive in the Irish Sea within the next two weeks.

Material rejected

But they are highly unlikely to enter Irish territorial waters, which stretch 12 miles out to sea, as such a move would probably spark a diplomatic incident.

The material on board was rejected by the Japanese nuclear industry when it arrived in 1999.

The rejection came after it emerged that quality control data at Sellafield, operated by British Nuclear Fuels Ltd (BNFL), was incorrect.

The Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior is to lead a flotilla of boats which will protest in the Irish Sea when the nuclear cargo arrives.