Corporate report

On the Level December 2025, issue 44

Published 15 December 2025

We’re still making tracks with STIM

STIM project progress on the southern trenches

If you regularly read On the Level, you’ll be familiar with the Southern Trench Interim Membrane (STIM) project and capping works. This is a key phase in the long-term capping and closure of the Repository site.

We’ve moved into our winter schedule – seasonal changes in weather, ground conditions, and shorter daylight hours mean less visible activity on the trench cap. But work continued with hydro-seeding on the eastern side of the STIM area, installation of environmental monitoring infrastructure and additional drainage.

With two rounds of rail deliveries of aggregate safely concluded in 2025 (delivering around 45% of our total aggregate for the STIM work), preparations are well under way for the next phase. Between January and September 2026, we’ll see our most ambitious aggregate delivery schedule to date with 188 trains forecast to deliver over 160,000 tonnes of aggregate during that time.

Once again, we’ll be working closely with Nuclear Transport Solutions (NTS) and our supply chain partners GRAHAM, AECOM and Wardell Armstrong to deliver safely, at pace and to high quality standards.

A train leaves the LLW Repository site

Nice to meet you!

NWS staff and visitors ready for the LLW Repository site tour

In September, we welcomed a number of local residents to the Repository site for a tour, alongside our STIM drop-in events at Drigg Village Hall.

One of the key messages we heard was how surprised you were by the amount of work happening on site with so little disruption. This is thanks in large part to using rail for our aggregate imports, which has removed over 7,000 HGV journeys from local roads this year.

It was great to see some familiar faces and to welcome those joining us for the first time.

We’re planning to run another one in the spring so look out for more information in the new year from ourselves and Drigg and Carleton Parish Council.

A new way of keeping you informed about abnormal loads

Aerial view of Drigg village

Depending on where you live, you may be used to receiving letters from us each time an abnormal load is due to arrive at or leave the Repository site.

We’ve been working alongside Drigg and Carleton Parish Council to review our abnormal load notification process, and as a result we’ve identified opportunities to be more sustainable and efficient.

From now on, when an abnormal load (as defined by dimension) is scheduled to travel through Drigg village, we’ll notify those who live on the route with a date-stamped postcard. These will be hand-delivered one working day in advance. The postcards are printed on recycled card and are fully recyclable.

For those households not directly impacted, we’ll continue to share details via the Drigg and Carleton Parish Council website (drigg.org.uk), but you’ll no longer receive a letter from us.

Rest assured, we’ll still follow our curfew times when scheduling deliveries – nothing changes around our commitment to minimising disruption.

We’ll continue to review this new approach with the Parish Council to assess how effective it is.

Spreading festive joy – together!

A selection of toys collected for the Christmas gift appeal

Christmas is just around the corner and we’re looking forward to the festive break, but we recognise that for some people it can be a challenging time.

That’s why we are proud to support Cumberland Family Hub’s Christmas Gift Appeal again in 2025, collecting new gifts and gift cards for young people in the local area.

We’ve had big collection boxes out at the Repository and at our Pelham House base, and we were pleased to include some of our supply chain partners too. We had an amazing response from the GRAHAM team, who are equally committed to adding social value to the local community, and from our Major Permissions Delivery Partner AtkinsRéalis, who donated a significant amount of toys from the company.

Sam Ward, Repository Community Engagement Manager said:

Thank you to all those who donated – it means the world to the charity and the young people who get to wake up to a gift on Christmas morning.

Keeping Drigg cosy this winter

We’re enjoying being part of the Drigg Winter Warm Hub again this year, alongside our colleagues at GRAHAM.

Held every Friday from 11am to 2pm at Drigg Village Hall, the hub is the perfect spot for a bowl of soup, a hot drink, and a good chat – and we’re proud to be able to support again this year with volunteers helping out by serving up tea and coffee, washing up, and sharing plenty of smiles with our community.

New beach information boards highlight local ecology

New information boards at Drigg Beach

If you’re walking the dog or enjoying some fresh air at Drigg Beach over the festive period, you’ll find new information boards installed at the car park, thanks to the work of the Drigg and Carleton Parish Council and funding from the LLWR Socio-economic Fund.

These boards have been designed to inform and inspire, highlighting the unique and sensitive ecology of the area.

The beach’s dunes are designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), making them an important habitat for a diverse range of plants and wildlife. The boards provide details about the local flora and fauna, helping visitors understand the rich biodiversity that calls this coastline home.

We hope the boards will encourage everyone to enjoy the beach responsibly and help protect its natural beauty for future generations.

Big changes under way at the Repository site

In our last On the Level, we shared news of several major contract awards,
including Workington-based Stobbarts Ltd, who secured the Civils, Infrastructure
and Remediation contract. Since then, we’ve seen increased activity across the Repository site.

Stobbarts have made good progress with improvements to footpaths, roads, and car parks to ensure we maintain modern safety standards – such as better segregation between pedestrians and vehicles.

Our Integrated Site Works Framework (ISWF) partner, GRAHAM, has also mobilised on site. Their initial focus includes upgrading electrical substations and the demolition of redundant buildings – including preparing to demolish the remaining Magazines that date back to the site’s time as a Royal Ordnance Factory during World War Two. The ISWF is a four-year programme designed to deliver a wide range of infrastructure and operational projects.

Alongside this, our Integrated Design and Engineering Framework (IDEF) partner, AECOM, is now supporting engineering design activities that will shape the next phase of improvements.

The Repository site has a fascinating history. During World War Two, it was home to a Royal Ordnance Factory, producing munitions for the war. Some of the original storage buildings, known as Magazines, still stand today. These structures will soon be safely demolished, with demolition material planned to be used in the final cap.

A Festive Message from Mike Pigott

Mike Pigott, Executive Director of Sites and Operations

As we approach the end of the year, I want to take a moment to reflect on what we’ve achieved together and share my gratitude for our community that hosts us.

First and foremost, thank you to our incredible workforce, many of whom are part of our local community. Their commitment, professionalism, and resilience have been the driving force behind everything we’ve accomplished this year. It’s because of their efforts that we continue to deliver safely and effectively.

I’m pleased we could share more positive news about our STIM project, and our progress as the generation that will make our legacy waste permanently safe. The next round of rail deliveries has been accelerated to January 2026 – a month earlier than planned. This proactive step helps us mitigate risks such as the extended Bransty Tunnel closure. Whenever we can, we’ll seize opportunities to accelerate progress.

Another major milestone is the mobilisation of our ISWF and IDEF contractors, which marks the start of vital work to support ongoing waste management and infrastructure improvements across the Repository site. These frameworks are essential to our future capability and seeing them come to life is a testament to the hard work and planning across the team. At the same time, Stobbarts’ work on site is progressing at pace, and the momentum we’re seeing is impressive.

As always, safety remains at the heart of everything we do. With operations increasing, we will be relentless in our commitment to keeping people safe.

Finally, I want to emphasise something that is very important to me: our social licence to operate. We don’t just work here; we are part of this community. Maintaining trust and delivering social value for our neighbours is essential.

We live this commitment through tangible actions every day. One simple but important example is road safety. We ask all staff and contractors to respect speed limits and drive carefully through the village. Clear signage at our site exit reinforces this message, reminding everyone that safety doesn’t stop at the gate, it extends into the community.

Your continued support helps us uphold that responsibility, and I thank you for it.

On behalf of everyone at the site, I wish you and your families a safe, happy, and peaceful festive season. Here’s to another year of progress and partnership.

Mike Pigott, Executive Director of Sites and Operations

Inspiring young minds through STEM

A STEM session at Seascale Primary School

We’re passionate about building a strong future workforce, and that starts with sparking curiosity in science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) among local students.

Recently, our social value team delivered an exciting STEM session at Seascale Primary School. And at Millom School, we supported their science club with a project focused on the impacts of climate change.

Inspiring the next generation is a collaborative effort – our supply chain partners, including AECOM and GRAHAM, are also supporting young people through work experience opportunities, delivering workshops and activities in local schools and at STEM events.

These sessions are all part of our commitment to supporting education and inspiring young people to consider careers in STEM fields.

If you have links to local schools or would like us to visit your child’s school, we’d love to hear from you. Please contact info@nuclearwasteservices.uk