Sizewell C bosses scrap water plan after objections

Sternfield resident, Dr Stephanie Bunn, said she was astounded by the lack of community consultation over the water tanker plan

Sizewell C bosses scrapped plans to transport water in tankers through a rural village, just one week after locals voiced outrage about the scheme.

Residents in Sternfield, Suffolk, said earlier this month they received a letter outlining plans for 44 tanker collections of water, every day, from a local agricultural reservoir from 19 August.

Villagers criticised officials, at the proposed nuclear power station, for an "astounding lack of consultation" and for showing "utter contempt to the community".

After complaints from people and the parish council, the plans were revoked and a Sizewell C spokesperson said it "revised" the plan and would "no longer source water from Sternfield".

People in the village told the BBC that community engagement was "severely lacking"

Resident Dr Stephanie Bunn said: "Can Sizewell C really have so much power that they can impose this upon a village with just 14 days' notice without community consultation?"

"We were stunned after being told this was going to happen with just two weeks notice from an organisation which is supposed to be trying to act with good feeling towards communities like ours."

She felt the route would have been unsuitable for frequent use by large lorries.

"The plan was up to six tankers an hour carrying water along the B1121 and back which would have amounted to 44 tankers and 88 journeys a day," Dr Bunn added.

"The road in places is single lane, with a weak single track bridge, and is clearly inadequate for tankers."

She said the lack of consultation with the community had been "astounding and coupled with the plans for the Sealink and Nautilus projects, we are quite overwhelmed with the lack of meaningful consideration about the impact these intended infrastructure projects will have on this area".

'Contingency only'

Another resident told the BBC that after he received the letter, he phoned the advised contact number only to get through to security guards at the site who he said had "no knowledge whatsoever" of the tanker scheme.

Bev Barclay, chair of Benhall and Sternfield Parish Council said: “This was a joint effort from the council and residents of both villages. We had no previous knowledge that this was on the cards.

"The council and residents quickly responded and engaged in a joint effort to come together and resist this.

"This is an example of how a community working together can challenge an issue that is poorly considered and potentially dangerous.”

Residents also told the BBC that community engagement over the project was "severely lacking" and they felt the village has been treated with contempt.

A spokesperson for Sizewell C said: "Community engagement has always and will always be key to the development of Sizewell C.

“Until our temporary desalination plant is built in 2026, we’re getting the water we need on site from licensed abstractions on the Sizewell Estate.

“As a contingency only, just in case of additional water demand for dust suppression, we had planned to source water from a storage reservoir located near Sternfield for a short period of time.

"However, following a review and responding to feedback from the community, we revised our contingency plan and will no longer source water from Sternfield."

They added: "We’ve written to residents to confirm that, and we’re always really happy to listen feedback and work together with the community to ensure the best outcome."