Ireland's nuclear watchdog has warned that the Sellafield Nuclear Plant will need to be monitored for the next 150 years and will remain a significant risk for three to four decades.
The Radiological Protection Institute believes that a nuclear accident could lead to contamination of the food-chain.
It also concluded that the impact of a terrorist attack on the plant is 'unquantifiable'.
The finding by the RPII follows a visit to the Cumbria facility last year.
Officials secured permission to revisit the plant following legal action by Ireland against Britain under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The RPII tour last September is believed to have been the most detailed ever and the findings were published this afternoon.
The institute says its state of knowledge about Sellafield is greater than ever and describes the challenges there as something which cannot be underestimated.
The institute says that while the conventional threat posed by Sellafield has diminished, the impact of a terrorist attack is unquantifiable and Ireland needs to continue its vigilance.
