ENGINEERING services company Amec Foster Wheeler has secured two new contracts which will see it tackle radioactive waste in Cumbria.

These have come from from LLW Repository Ltd, based in Drigg, and cover two areas of work, known as "environmental safety case" services and "waste characterisation and assurance support".

The first covers the environmental aspects surrounding the storage and handling of radioactive material while the latter covers lab analysis of materials.

As part of the ESC deal, the company will be the sole contractor in the field of hydrogeological and geological support. It will also be one of four suppliers for general technical support.

It is estimated that the contract will generate approximately £2m in revenue over the next four years.

The WCASS deal, which is expected to be worth about £2m over four years, will see Amec Foster Wheeler providing support for analysis and environmental monitoring.

Andy White, vice president for decommissioning at Amec Foster Wheeler's clean energy business, said: “The award of these frameworks reflects the high value placed on the technical expertise of our people. LLWR has been a valued customer for many years and our understanding of their business enables us to play an integral part in the cost-effective management of UK waste streams.

"These wins advance Amec Foster Wheeler’s strategy to expand our share of work on radiological and waste management programmes in Europe.”

Amec Foster Wheeler employs about 300 people in Cumbria at Westlakes Science and Technology Park, near Whitehaven, at Sellafield and the BAE Systems yard in Barrow.

This month, in a joint venture with support services company Interserve, it signed a four-year deal at Sellafield worth up to £160m.

An inquiry is under way into a proposed takeover of the firm by Aberdeen-based John Wood Group.

LLWR operates the UK’s Low Level Waste Repository in west Cumbria on behalf of the government's Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and also looks after the management of lower activity waste throughout the country.