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It may have been 23 years ago but the legacy of the Chernobyl disaster is still ever present. In Suffolk, as the debate about a third nuclear reactor is back in the news, images of that fateful April morning in 1986 are brought back to the fore.

For many in Suffolk keeping alive the memory of those who died is just as important as the political debate surrounding nuclear power.

Chernobyl warning sign

In the early hours of 26 April 1986, one of four nuclear reactors at the Chernobyl power station in the Ukraine, USSR exploded. The disaster released at least 100 times more radiation than the atom bombs dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. 

It's unclear how many people died or became ill as a result of the leak, but the contamination was widespread. 23 years on, on Sizewell beach in Suffolk, in the shadow of the county's nuclear power station, people of all faiths and none gathered to remember what happened. 

"We're coming together to see how we can live together peacefully and responsibly in God's creation," said the Reverend Chris Walton from the Ringsfield Hall Eco Study Centre near Beccles. "The earth is part of our lives and we want to be able to celebrate it now and into the future."

Campaigners against nuclear power use the accident at Chernobyl as an argument against the technology. But there are plenty of others in favour of its use who say it's a clean industry which, with the exception of Chernobyl, has a good safety record which has kept improving over the last two decades.

As a committed Christian, Chris believes it's right to make a stand against nuclear power and against future developments at Sizewell, but he recognises not everyone agrees with him. 

Sizewell A and B

"I don’t believe you have to reject nuclear power just because of your faith," he said. "That's the conclusion I and many others have come to, but there are many other Christians who believe very much in nuclear power. We're open to debate and people will come to their own conclusions."

But despite their differences of opinion, people on both sides of the nuclear debate agree the legacy of Chernobyl won't, and shouldn’t be forgotten.

Use the links on the right for more features about Sizewell C and the future of the nuclear industry in the UK.