The scientists fear that the sharp reduction in funding from the government’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority will significantly slow down the clean-up of former nuclear plants at Winfrith as well as discarding skilled workers.

The move comes at the same time as the NDA are setting up a nuclear skills academy due to the shortage of specialists to clean up Britain’s 50-year nuclear legacy.

Prospect National Secretary, David Luxton, said: "It is unacceptable to put so many nuclear scientists under threat of redundancy at the very time there is concern in government about the shortage of skilled nuclear workers to implement NDA’s decommissioning strategy.

"UKAEA were planning to accelerate the decommissioning of Winfrith site back to a brownfield site by 2013, yet now this plan is under threat because of the unexpected slashing of the decommissioning budget for both the Winfrith and Harwell sites. The government’s plans for new nuclear build will be in disarray unless there is adequate funding to implement the accelerated decommissioning. This is not joined-up government."

The scientists’ protest has been sparked by the disclosure that funding to implement the Winfrith decommissioning plan is being reduced from £44.3 million in the current financial year to only £15.4 million by next year. The Winfrith site is being integrated with the Harwell site to form a combined Site Licence Company from 2008, but the decommissioning budget for the combined site programme will reduce from £101 million last year to £60 million flat funding next year and beyond.

Prospect is considering balloting its members in UKAEA for industrial action over the funding reductions and is pressing DTI for an urgent meeting to discuss the funding crisis affecting Winfrith and Harwell sites.