Chemical and nuclear sites

What to do in an emergency at a nuclear site

We provide emergency information for Sellafield.

It must be stressed that the possibility of such emergencies occurring is remote and that the design and operation of all plants on the site are independently monitored by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Environment Agency (EA).

Emergency booklet

You can download the emergency booklet which gives advice on what to do in the unlikely event of an emergency at each site.

Download the Sellafield emergency booklet (PDF, 2.8MB)

Download the Sellafield consequence report 2022 (PDF, 210 KB)

Maps

Map showing the Sellafield Ltd Detailed Emergency Planning Zone (ranging from 6.1km to 8km from the centre of site):

Sellafield Ltd Detailed Emergency Planning Zone Map (PDF 659KB)

Map showing Sellafield Ltd Outline Planning Zone (50km from the centre of site):

Sellafield Ltd Outline Planning Zone Map (PDF 556KB)

Action cards

Action cards for persons and organisations within the Detailed Emergency Planning Zone (DEPZ):

• Sellafield - Emergency Action Card (PDF 231KB)
• Sellafield - Business Emergency Action Card (PDF 242KB)
• Sellafield - Care Home Emergency Action Card (PDF 231KB)
• Sellafield - Transient Emergency Action Card (PDF 231KB)
• Sellafield - Schools Emergency Action Card (PDF 229KB)
• Sellafield - Caravan and Camping Emergency Action Card (PDF 230KB)

Action card for persons and organisation within the Inner Emergency Planning Zone (IEPZ):

Sellafield - Inner Emergency Planning Zone Emergency Action Card (PDF 232KB)

Information cards for persons and organisations within the Outline Planning Zone (OPZ)

Sellafield  - What to do in an Emergency Outline Planning Zone Information Card (PDF 619KB)

Sign up to the automated telephone warning system

We encourage people living near Sellafield to sign up for a free automated telephone warning system. The system provides a warning in the highly unlikely event of an emergency at the Sellafield site. 

In addition you can receive updates via text messages, e-mail and mobile calls on exercises that take place.

Register for a telephone warning

People living in the following villages are eligible:

• Calder Bridge
• Haile
• Ponsonby
• Wellington
• Gosforth
• Drigg
• Holmrook
• Seascale
• Braystones
• Nethertown
• Middletown
• Thornhill
• Beckermet

If you live in the CA postcodes 19, 20, 21 and 22 you may also be eligible for this free and valuable service. In addition you can receive updates via text messages, e-mail and mobile calls on exercises that take place.

The call from the council follows work undertaken by the Office for Nuclear Regulation in January 2014 when they reviewed their process for revising the Detailed Emergency Planning Zones around UK civil nuclear establishments. This revision came from lessons learnt from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant incident in 2011 and has had a considerable impact in how Cumberland Council, Sellafield Ltd and the emergency services plan for an incident on the west coast.

The size of the emergency planning area differs site by site in the UK, with consideration given to individual factors associated with each site. The Detailed Emergency Planning Zone for Sellafield covers an area ranging from approximately 6.1km to 8km from the centre of the site.

If you do not have access to the internet you may wish to ask a friend or neighbour to assist or you in signing up for the service.

Sellafield exercises (site siren may be sounded on these dates) 4 June 2024 and 12 November 2024.

Chemical sites

We provide emergency information for:

• Vertellus - which is a chemical manufacturer based in Workington
• MOD Longtown - which stores conventional munitions in a large number of storehouses

Download the Vertellus emergency booklet (PDF, 447KB)

Download the MOD Longtown emergency booklet (PDF, 244KB)