Royal opening for clean-up centre

The decommissioning of Dounreay was key to the centre's creation

The Princess Royal is to officially open a centre for research and training in cleaning up nuclear sites.

The Caithness facility, called t3UK, is thought to be the first of its kind in the country, and has been driven by the decommissioning of nearby Dounreay.

Princess Anne will be given a tour of the complex in Janetstown, near Thurso, and meet staff.

Higher education institute UHI and local company JGC Engineering Technical Services are involved with the project.

One of t3UK's main roles will be to research and develop new ways of dismantling nuclear sites and disposing of radioactive waste.

The building also houses an arm of JGC, which develops and tests equipment for use in the clean-up of Dounreay.

The UK Atomic Energy Authority, which runs the plant, expects decomissioning work to be completed in 2036.

The 140-acre Dounreay site is being cleaned up at a cost of £2.9bn.