Brit nuke warhead plant closed

LONDON, May 25 (UPI) -- Britain's Trident nuclear warhead program was temporarily suspended for most of the past year because of safety concerns, papers reveal.

The Observer reported Sunday that work at the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Burghfield was suspended last July, when flooding increased the risk of fire at the plant, and amid other safety concerns. The plant reopened last month, the British newspaper said.

The nation's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate required the Atomic Weapons Establishment to improve safety at the plant or it would not issue a new license for work on nuclear warheads.

In 2006, 1,000 safety concerns were identified at Burghfield. The AWE is owned by British Nuclear Group, Serco and Lockheed Martin.

British Defense Minister Bob Ainsworth last week confirmed that work at the Burghfield plant, which maintains all of the nation's 140 Trident missiles, initially stopped in July.

"As a result of temporary disruption due to flooding at AWE Burghfield, the nuclear site licensee ... took a decision not to undertake live nuclear working while remedial work was undertaken," Ainsworth told members of Parliament.