A group of leading academics has condemned as undemocratic Government plans to force through a new generation of nuclear power stations, it has been reported.
It is understood that the group, which includes scientists, energy economists and several Government advisers on nuclear waste, warned that questions over disposal of waste material and vulnerability to terrorist attack had not been properly answered.
The group has criticised the way the Government gathered public and expert opinion on the issue.
Dr Paul Dorfman, a spokesman for the independent group, said: "We are profoundly concerned that the Government's approach was designed to provide particular and limiting answers.
"Those answers risk locking in UK energy to an inflexible and vulnerable pathway that will prove unsustainable."
An 87-page report by the group concluded: "Significant issues were not consulted on in any meaningful way or resolved in practice. It has left the Government vulnerable to legal challenge and may lead to hostility and mistrust of any future energy decision."
The report comes as the Government gets ready to allow a major expansion of nuclear power.
A spokesman for the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform said: "We gave people five months to respond to the consultation on the range of issues relating to nuclear power, which is longer than the average three to four-month consultation period.
"We've received 2,700 responses from the extensive consultation, which included public meetings across the UK, a written consultation document and website.
"Time is pressing - we need to make a decision on whether we should continue to get some of our electricity from nuclear, which is a low carbon form of making energy. We will be making an announcement about this shortly."
It is understood that the group, which includes scientists, energy economists and several Government advisers on nuclear waste, warned that questions over disposal of waste material and vulnerability to terrorist attack had not been properly answered.
The group has criticised the way the Government gathered public and expert opinion on the issue.
Dr Paul Dorfman, a spokesman for the independent group, said: "We are profoundly concerned that the Government's approach was designed to provide particular and limiting answers.
"Those answers risk locking in UK energy to an inflexible and vulnerable pathway that will prove unsustainable."
An 87-page report by the group concluded: "Significant issues were not consulted on in any meaningful way or resolved in practice. It has left the Government vulnerable to legal challenge and may lead to hostility and mistrust of any future energy decision."
The report comes as the Government gets ready to allow a major expansion of nuclear power.
A spokesman for the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform said: "We gave people five months to respond to the consultation on the range of issues relating to nuclear power, which is longer than the average three to four-month consultation period.
"We've received 2,700 responses from the extensive consultation, which included public meetings across the UK, a written consultation document and website.
"Time is pressing - we need to make a decision on whether we should continue to get some of our electricity from nuclear, which is a low carbon form of making energy. We will be making an announcement about this shortly."
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