Emergency response planning
You can report an incident involving radioactive
material or radioactive waste by calling SEPA's 24 hour pollution
hotline: 0800 80 70 60
If there was an incident involving the release of radioactivity
to the environment, SEPA's role would be to assess the impacts of
the incident and advise on clean-up.
The extent of SEPA's involvement depends on the nature and scale
of the incident. In particular, SEPA may advise on:
- the environmental impact and effects of the incident to
relevant government departments, organisations and the public
- the disposal of radioactive waste
- decontamination and clean-up.
We may also advise government on the sampling and measurement of
radioactive contamination in the environment. If appropriate, we
will authorise associated disposals, and we may enter monitoring
data onto the Radioactive Incident Monitoring Network.
Radioactive Incident Monitoring Network
(RIMNET)
This network is the UK radiation monitoring and nuclear
emergency response system. It was set up as part of the National
Response Plan following the Chernobyl nuclear accident.
The RIMNET system has 93 gamma dose monitoring sites, designed
to independently detect radioactivity resulting from any overseas
accident that may affect the UK.
SEPA is responsible for managing the Scottish part of the
system, which comprises 27 monitors and five RIMNET terminals.
These allow access to monitoring results, deposition modelling and
input of environmental monitoring data.
RIMNET supplies routine hourly readings and raises an alert of
any abnormal increases. Following detection, it will:
support the on-going collection and analysis of radiological
monitoring data relating to the accident
provide information concerning its effects, for distribution to
the media, official agencies and the public.
This map shows the location of gamma
dose rate monitors in Scotland:
