A former government advisor on Thursday described Sellafield and the surrounding area as a “crazy” place to put the UK’s nuclear waste at the close of the official consultation on the issue.

Professor David Smythe, who served on the Geological Review Panel of British Nuclear Fuels and worked with Nirex, the government’s former nuclear waste disposal body, said the geology of the Cumbrian coast made it an unsuitable place to put waste in the long term. He cited findings from a previous inquiry into the site 10 years ago, showing it might be prone to flooding or other disturbances.