Seabed particle recovery off Dounreay in Caithness to resume

A remotely operated vehicle has been recovering particles from the seabed

Work to clean up the seabed off Dounreay in Caithness is to resume for the third year.

Tiny radioactive fragments were discharged from the experimental nuclear power plant into the sea in the 1970s.

Operated from a barge, a remotely-operated vehicle will clean up any harmful particles on the seabed.

The work is being completed by contractors for Dounreay Site Restoration Limited.

In September 2011, the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency said returning the seabed to a "pristine condition" was not possible and might do more harm than good.

By last summer, 2,300 harmful particles had been removed from the seabed and nearby beaches.

Dounreay, an experimental nuclear power site built in the 1950s, is being demolished and cleaned up in a project costing more than £2bn.