AN RAF veteran from Lydney who took part in nuclear weapons experiments in the 1960s, believes a new power station at Oldbury could have a devastating effect on the health of people in the Forest.

Dennis Hayden says that childhood leukaemia clusters and genetic defects are just two of the real threats faced by communities living close to the proposed nuclear site.

The 69-year-old was taken ill while serving at Maralinga in Southern Australia in 1965/66 as a result of being exposed to radiation.

And he wants people in the Dean to understand the dangers of breathing in low-level nuclear particles over a long period of time.

He said: "This isn't about what would happen if there was a catastrophe like those at Fukushima or Chernobyl.

"The real hazard is the licensed discharge given off by nuclear plants 24/seven, 365 days of the year.

"It is when these low level alpha and beta particles are breathed in that they do the damage to health. This can include cases of cancers, genetic damage, sterility and still-births."

The proposed site is just three miles across the River Severn from Lydney, based in Oldbury.