British nuclear reprocessing plant Sellafield said it had detected elevated levels of radioactivity at one of its on-site monitors on Friday.
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The site, situated in the north west of England, is reportedly operating normally, but with reduced staffing levels.
In a statement, a spokesperson said non-essential workers had been told to stay at home. “As a result of a conservative and prudent decision, the Sellafield site is operating normally but with reduced manning levels today,” the statement, said adding that “There is no risk to the general public or workforce.”
The levels of radioactivity detected were said to be above naturally occurring radiation, but well below levels that would call for action to be taken by the workforce on or off the site.
Britain’s nuclear decommissioning authority said it was unclear where the radiation was coming from and that it is too early to say if there has been a leak at the plant.
In April 2005, leaked radioactive waste was discovered from Sellafield’s THORP reprocessing plant which may have started as early as August 2004. It was categorised as a level 3 event on the International Nuclear Event Scale, and resulted in fines.