By the BBC's Berlin Correspondent Caroline Wyatt

Germany has shut down a nuclear power plant in order to remove British fuel rods supplied by Sellafield with falsified documentation.

The generating company, Preussen-Elektra, said there were concerns over the false data.

The decision follows heavy political pressure from the German Government, which has been deeply critical of safety standards at Sellafield.

Earlier this week, it emerged that four fuel rods supplied by Sellafield had come with false documentation on safety checks carried out on the rods.

Preussen-Elektra had insisted that the rods were safe but now says concern over the false data meant they would shut down the plant in order to replace them.

Germany's Green Environment Minister, Juergen Trittin, said he was reviewing whether to terminate the country's reprocessing contracts with Sellafield.

The government in Berlin is deeply worried by what it has termed a systematic neglect of safety standards at the British plant.