Milton Keynes is “not being considered” as a potential site for the disposal of nuclear waste, the UK Government has said.

The local Labour Party had called on the government to “stop plans to dump nuclear waste in Milton Keynes”.

However, the claims that a site in or near the north of the city could be selected for the disposal of radioactive waste have been dismissed by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

A spokesperson told the BBC Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “This story is not true.

“Nuclear Waste Services is not considering any locations in or near Milton Keynes as a site of the storage of disposal of radioactive waste.

READ MORE: Tories, Labour clash over Milton Keynes nuclear waste claims

“The search for a suitable location is underway that will seek to avoid densely populated areas such as Milton Keynes and this area is not under consideration.”

Milton Keynes Labour said in a press release on November 21 that Milton Keynes City Council had been approached by Nuclear Waste Services, the body that manages nuclear waste from UK nuclear power stations, about an “interested party” looking for a potential site.

A Nuclear Waste Services spokesperson told the LDRS: “As part of our work to find a suitable site for the UK’s Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) we engage with and respond to enquiries from interested parties who reach out to us to discuss the process.

“That does not mean these areas are being taken forward for siting a GDF and we are not proposing the development of any locations in or near Milton Keynes as a site for the storage or disposal of radioactive waste.

“A GDF will only be built where we have the consent of a willing community with a suitable site.”