Concerns have been raised over proposals to recommend that burying nuclear waste is safe.

A public information campaign is due to be launched in September, the first since Cumbria Council rejected a bid in 2013.

SDLP MP for South Down Margaret Ritchie said the campaign is based on findings from a group of people who claim 30% of the land in England and Wales is suitable for burying radioactive waste up to 1000m below ground.

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She said: "Those behind it say the plans – which are estimated at £12bn - are hindered by a 'nuclear perception problem'. Rather I would say the problem is that there is pressure to develop a new nuclear reactor at Hinkley, before a solution has been devised for how to deal with the highly hazardous waste we already have.

"The UK already has enough nuclear waste to fill Wembley Stadium four times over. Most is stored at surface level in Sellafield and this alone is very alarming. I have frequently raised concerns over safety breaches here which demonstrate how no storage or processing plant can ever be completely safe. It is a concern that people in the east of Ireland have to live with on a daily basis.

"We have a moral and ethical responsibility to dispose of this waste we already have. We know Sellafield is not the long-term answer."

(CD)