Report: U.K. downplayed Japan's disaster

LONDON, July 1 (UPI) -- The British government worked to downplay the seriousness of the earthquake-caused damage at Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant, some officials say.

The Guardian said it had seen e-mails between government officials and multinational companies that build nuclear facilities stressing the importance of downplaying the accident to prevent it from derailing plans for new plants in the United Kingdom.

"This has the potential to set the nuclear industry back globally," wrote one official at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. "We need to ensure the anti-nuclear chaps and chapesses do not gain ground on this. We need to occupy the territory and hold it. We really need to show the safety of nuclear."

The names of the individuals sending the e-mails were deleted in most cases, the report said.

The magnitude-9 earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan March 11 killed thousands of people and severely damaged the Fukushima Daiichi plant. A series of explosions followed and workers are still trying to prevent radiation from leaking from reactors.

Zac Goldsmith, a Conservative member of Parliament who sits on the Commons environmental audit committee, found the e-mails troubling.

"The government has no business doing PR for the industry and it would be appalling if its departments have played down the impact of Fukushima," Goldsmith said.

The British government last week confirmed it had plans for eight new nuclear power plants in England and Wales.