Dungeness visitor centre to shut

The visitor centre at the power station is due to shut next year

The visitor centre at Dungeness Power Station in Kent is to close because of a drop in numbers following the World Trade Center attacks.

Dungeness Power station started generating electricity in 1965.

The hands on visitor centre has been open to the public since 1990 where people can explore the world of energy and electricity through multimedia displays and tour parts of the station.

But the threat of more terrorist attacks after 11 September meant tours around the working power station were stopped.

Go out to community

As a result the number of visitors dropped from about 20,000 a year to 15,000.

And now British Nuclear Fuels which runs the station plan to close the centre from March 2004.

Director of the centre Haf Morris said: "The tours used to include parts of the power station themselves and since the terror attacks visitors have plummeted.

"We are hoping we will be able to get out to schools in the local area and perhaps community groups.

"I think we will actually get to more people. We can perhaps go to their village hall and to the schools ."