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Hi ,


If there were problems with radioactivity at Scotland's nuclear bomb bases, wouldn't you want to know? 


We did. So, in 2019, The Ferret used freedom of information legislation to ask the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) about about issues at Faslane and Coulport bases.


A cyber attack on Sepa was blamed for them not answering our questions. In 2023, we asked again. Sepa released a few files, but said "national security concerns" meant they could not give out the full information. Another request for updated information was also rejected in 2024. Files were once again held back by Sepa.


We're not easily deterred here at The Ferret, but it was time for a different tack. A fourth FoI request was made in August last year for all the correspondence between Sepa and the Ministry of Defence about our previous three requests. This showed that the MoD had blocked Sepa from releasing information.


We then lodged appeals with the Scottish Information Commissioner, David Hamilton, asking him to investigate Sepa’s refusal to release key information.


Readers, we won! Hamilton said Sepa was wrong to keep the information secret, and releasing it to the public threatened “reputations” not national security.


So now the withheld information about radioactivity problems is due to be released. Sepa has until 28 July 2025 to comply, or appeal the ruling. 


Remember, good journalism changes things. And your support made this happen.

Yours,

Ali

Story of the week

An in-depth look at a Ferret investigation

Mega farms in Scotland, including some with more than a million animals, have repeatedly leaked excrement and failed to monitor contamination, putting humans, wildlife and the environment at risk, The Ferret can reveal.


By failing to responsibly contain or dispose of slurry, wastewater and harmful air particles these industrial-sized farms were responsible for 126 breaches of green regulations between May 2022 and November 2024.


The rule breaking is revealed in inspection reports compiled by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa), which The Ferret obtained under freedom of information law.

Read the full story

What did we dig up this week?

A round up of our investigations in the last seven days

Revealed: 585 cracks in Torness nuclear reactor

The estimated number of cracks in the core of a nuclear reactor at Torness in East Lothian has risen to 585 – the highest so far – prompting fears of a nuclear “meltdown”.

Claim Scotland supplies England with electricity for no payment is Mostly False

A post was shared hundreds of times on social media claiming that Scotland was receiving no money for the electricity it supplies to England. 

Faslane’s radioactive secrets to be revealed after FoI battle

Information on problems at the nuclear bomb bases is to be released, after Scotland’s freedom of information watchdog said it threatens “reputations” not national security.

Question of the week

Should the public know about safety issues at nuclear bomb bases?

Yes
No

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Best of the rest

Investigations we've enjoyed from around the world

After Texas banned abortion, more women nearly bled to death during miscarriage

A new data analysis adds to the mounting evidence that abortion bans have made the common experience of first-trimester miscarriage far more dangerous. (ProPublica)

Uncovered: How UK police are hiding their Palantir work

Civil liberties campaigners lodge formal complaint over secretive policing unit instructing forces to withhold information about US spy tech firm. (Democracy for Sale)

Weak UK lobbying laws let fossil fuel giants influence climate policies

Oil and gas firms were able to water down or change Conservative policies without scrutiny, new report finds. (Open Democracy)

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