Journalist Sneak into Dutch Nuclear Facility

[Gratiot]

Journalists have penetrated the fence around a Dutch nuclear plant in Petten in the province of North Holland. A film posted on the internet shows how bad security is at the plant. The journalists said they were able to enter storage rooms containing radioactive material and walk around the grounds undetected for almost two hours.

The two journalists filming for an internet programme, Border-Liners, for the TV station TowelTV.com were surprised how easy it was to enter the grounds. They compared it to getting into a festival terrain without paying. All they had to do was climb over one low fence in the dunes. There are signs warning that filming is forbidden, but they were able to film storage rooms lit with blue light and containing radioactive barrels. Although there are lots of cameras they were apparently not observed.

“The premises are supposed to be strictly secure, but we got in in no time," said presenters Jeppe and Vince. “We were able to get very close to the reactor, and the most worrying thing is that radioactive material is there for the taking.”

The presenters were able to get twenty metres away from the reactor before they stopped. Anyone with evil intentions could cause a lot of damage. “Even being able to access the site to gather information could be damaging to national security,” said Vince.

The programme specialises in entering forbidden areas and often shows how badly guarded dangerous sites are.

Radio News Netherlands

Link to video, in Dutch.

[NHSparky]

I watched the video--color me less than impressed.

[Gratiot]

I watched the video--color me less than impressed.

As was I. 

Although it's still a bit shocking to me that they didn't have automated perimeter detection.  I mean, even many basic transmission stations have that.

Now the South African nuclear security breach from a few years ago... that was something almost out of Mission Impossible impressive.