A DISTINGUISHED atomic scientist, who served on a United Nations committee and advised the Government in the aftermath of the Chenobyl disaster, has died.

John Dunster, 83, who lived in Oxfordshire for the past 15 years and was an internationally recognised figure in his field, died on April 23.

His career in nuclear science began in 1946 when he started work for the British atomic energy programme in what became the UK Atomic Energy Authority.

He was called in to help when a fire broke out in Sellafield in 1957 and played a central role in the response to the explosion of the Chenobyl reactor 20 years ago.

Mr Dunster married Rose in 1945 and the couple had four children Pat, Sue, Nick and Kate.

His daughter, Sue, said: "We remember his unswerving support for all his children, his devotion to mum."

Mr Dunster was born in Sussex to Herbert and Olive Grace Dunster and was educated at University College School and graduated from Imperial College, London in 1942 with a first- class honours degree in physics.

He then worked for the Admiralty on acoustics research involving torpedoes and submarines.

He was appointed an assistant director at the National Radiological Protection Board when it was first set up in 1971. In 1976, he left to become director of nuclear safety and deputy director general of the Health and Safety Executive. He returned to the NRPB as director in 1982 until his retirement in 1987.

During his career he also served on the International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU), and from 1982 to 1992, he was the UK representative to the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation.

He was made a Companion, Order of the Bath, by the Queen in 1979. In 1988 he was elected a Fellow of the Society for Radiological Protection.

He is survived by Rose and their four children, 11 grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.