A major leak at the Highland nuclear site, Dounreay, has sparked a hunt for mystery bunkers. The leak, which occurred in a 1960s bunker, went unnoticed for at least a year before officials were alerted. This incident has raised concerns about the potential presence of other hidden structures that may also be leaking radioactive water. Dounreay, once the UK's center for experimental fast-reactor research, is now a major nuclear decommissioning site. The clean-up efforts are funded by the UK Government's Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and carried out by Nuclear Restoration Services (NRS). The leak, which was initially discovered in July 2023, was caused by a disused underground carbon bed filter, a concrete bunker built in the early 1960s as part of a ventilation system. The report warns that there may be other similar legacy structures on the site that could have unrevealed faults, and calls for a review to identify them. The Scottish Greens have described the leak as "totally unacceptable", and an MSP has called for full transparency and accountability from those involved. The incident has been upgraded internally from an "Occurrence" to a "Notable" event, and SEPA has issued a Regulatory Notice over the breach, demanding that NRS tighten monitoring and complete a recovery and decommissioning plan.
