NUCLEAR workers who could be bound for the Mirehouse area should be housed within the estate and not in a "temporary camp" on the outskirts, it has been claimed.

An area of land off Mirehouse Road is being considered by NuGen to house up to 4,000 construction workers for its Moorside nuclear power plant.

And Jayne Laine, a Whitehaven town councillor for the Mirehouse ward, fears that a "them and us" divide would be created if the workers are not better integrated into the community.

Coun Laine said: "There are lots of areas within the estate where workers could be housed, whether that be empty pockets of land being used or empty housing being brought back into use."

"Currently, there appears to be no options or ideas presented for better integration into the Mirehouse community.

"Isolating the workers away from Mirehouse and the town will not, as NuGen believes, minimise disturbance to the community.

"Temporary worker villages can have a significant impact on an established town, such as changes to the social structure and character, and place pressure on existing services."

Accommodation for a total of 6,000 workers is being sought by NuGen ahead of construction on the three-reactor plant starting in 2020, pending planning approval. 

The Mirehouse site, along with others at Corkickle, Egremont, Cleator Moor and Millom, are currently being considered for housing, and NuGen says that the workers could be accommodated in one large site or potentially spread across a number. A new train station could also be created at Mirehouse.

Copeland mayor Mike Starkie says that the new housing should not be temporary, and instead create a "legacy" for the area.

Coun Laine backed the mayor's stance, and added the the bulk of the Moorside workforce should be made up of local people. 

She said: "I am pro-Moorside and pro-NuGen, but it is vital that every member of the community are invited to play a large part in helping NuGen realise the potential that our area and its people can provide."