Further strikes to hit Cumbria's Sellafield plant

About 10,000 people are employed at Sellafield

The Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant in Cumbria is to be hit by further strike action in a long-running pay dispute.

About 400 health physics monitors, who carry out manual radiation checks on staff and equipment, took part in a one-day stoppage last month.

The GMB union has announced two more strikes for later this month, claiming management reneged on a pay rise deal.

Sellafield Ltd said the action would not impact on the site's operations.

A union spokesman said the first stoppage would take place on 25 August from 08:30 BST until 12:30 BST, with a 48-hour stoppage planned to start the following day.

The dispute centres on the re-grading of some monitors and what they are paid.

The company said staff had recently been awarded a 2.5% pay rise and while the principle of a further increase was "not in contention" it did not think there should be a "blanket" rise.

Sellafield employs about 10,000 people and reprocesses and stores spent nuclear fuel from around the world.