Council battling illegal work near nuclear site

A council continues to gather evidence to prosecute those responsible for an illegal development near a nuclear weapons site.

Work has been carried out on land opposite the Atomic Weapons Establishment's (AWE) Aldermaston campus despite a temporary stop notice, West Berkshire Council said.

Hundreds of people have signed an online petition that states the work has left others feeling "unsafe, anxious and unprotected", according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The authority said the applicant has not submitted additional information to make it a valid application and so it is not being considered.

Neither the council nor the police have legal powers to remove individuals or items from the land and the council says the relevant civil legal processes must be followed to enable this.

"The temporary stop notice remains in force," a council spokesperson said.

"Any activity that breaches it is a criminal offence, and officers are continuing to gather evidence to support potential prosecution."