NEARLY 60,000 people have now signed petitions calling for the Welsh Government to stop 300,000 tons of Hinkley Point mud being dumped in Cardiff Bay amid fears that it might expose people to radioactivity.

Since the Free Press first reported the story on October 20, protestors have grown from 5,000 to more than 58,000 who are now pressing for the licence granted to EDF Energy in 2013 to be suspended until more research is done.

The area being dredged is near the now-disused Hinkley Point A nuclear power station which was decommissioned in 2000 after 35 years in operation.

Sediment will be moved from the seabed ahead of drilling six cooling-water shafts for the £19.6 billion Hinkley Point C station.

Fears that the mud could possibly contain harmful radioactivity were first raised by independent marine pollution researcher Tim Deere-Jones: “There is a lack of knowledge about the potential harm of moving the mud,” he said.

He called on the Welsh Government to direct Natural Resources Wales to suspend the licence it has granted to the Hinkley Point contractors.

He also wants an environmental impact assessment and radiological analysis carried out, plus a public inquiry, before any of the Hinkley waste is dumped off Cardiff.

A petition started by Mr Deere-Jones last week has already attracted nearly 7,000 signatures.

An EDF Energy spokesman said all activities at Hinkley Point C were strictly regulated by statutory bodies to make sure the environment and the public were protected.