RADIOACTIVE waste from a nuclear power station in the north of England could be on its way to Hampshire.

A hazardous materials disposal incinerator at Fawley is one of the sites under consideration to deal with the low-level waste.

Residents and environmental campaigners have reacted with horror to the plans by British Energy.

The waste, in store at Hartlepool Power Station in the north-east, is mainly cleaning fluids and materials.

The substances involved include about 400 litres of an ozone-depleting solvent called Genklen, around 700 litres of a replacement solvent called Triklone and 70 drums of sludge and oils.

British Energy management already has arrangements with other sites including Sellafield in Cumbria and Winfrith in Dorset.

A Shanks spokesman said that as Fawley had authorisation for the disposal of low-level radioactive waste, it was not a surprise that it was among those being considered.

But he added: "We have got no agreement with them, we haven't discussed anything with them and they would not be able to send anything to us without our agreement.

"You are probably talking about the sort of level you would get from a hospital or a university."

Hampshire and New Forest councillor John Coles said: "I will be taking a thorough look at the application, but my first reaction is horror.

"I don't want this kind of thing coming along our roads or being disposed of into our atmosphere."

Fawley parish clerk Malcolm Anderson has circulated the information to councillors and will be putting it on a parish public services agenda in January.

At neighbouring Hythe, parish chairman Chris Harrison said: "If Hartlepool has got nuclear waste, Hartlepool should deal with it. We don't want nuclear waste coming through our parish."

There was immediate opposition, too, from New Forest Friends of the Earth.

Anti-pollution campaigner John Milne said: "Burning it doesn't get rid of the radioactivity. It ends up going out into the atmosphere or into the ash and being spread around very thinly. That is completely unacceptable."

A British Energy spokesman said: "We have applied to the environment Agency for authorisation to transfer low-level waste from Hartlepool power station to Shanks at Fawley for disposal.

"We have chosen Shanks because it's the best equipped plant to deal with this type of waste."