British Energy says safety slipped last year

"In all circumstances, safety is our number one priority...so it is disappointing to record that, during the last year, our performance against key industrial safety indicators declined slightly," Adrian Montague, chairman, told the firm's annual general meeting.

British Energy -- which operates a fleet of eight nuclear stations across the UK and generates about a fifth of the country's electricity -- was addressing the safety issue as part of a performance improvement programme, he added.

The firm is trying to boost the overall performance of its plants as part of a government-backed restructuring package agreed last year after slumping power prices pushed the firm close to bankruptcy.

"Everyone at British Energy is ready to embrace the change we need if British Energy is to re-establish itself as a safe, profitable and proud generator of emissions-free power," said Montague.