I WRITE regarding the hazards of nuclear power.

Years ago when Colwyn Bay, in North Wales, flooded, geologists found plutonium in the silt left behind.

This presumably came from Sellafield nuclear power station. It only takes one speck of plutonium to cause cancer.

Therefore nuclear energy is not the ideal answer to the predicted looming energy gap.

Sadly wind farms also have their drawbacks: the turbines endanger wildlife and kill bats by causing their lungs to implode. They are also not very efficient as a means to generate energy and their gearboxes are prone to failure.

The tidal estuary project in Bristol seems very promising indeed in terms of energy output; however some environmentalists are concerned about the damage to wildlife it will cause.

It is crucial to avoid power cuts which can cost lives, therefore I feel it is sensible to back coal power stations. Despite all the protests, it is the lesser of the evils.

SUSAN THOMAS, Magdalen Road, Oxford