A noise from Heysham power stations "sounding like a runaway steam train" which disturbed residents on Saturday has been explained.
EDF, owners of Heysham 1 and 2, said the loud noise which could be heard for several hours was due to a reactor being brought back online.
One resident posted on Facebook that the noise was "very loud and scary" and another said it "sounded like a runaway steam train in the sky".
Councillor Phil Bradley, who represents Heysham South on Lancaster City Council, contacted Beyond Radio about the steam-like noise, which could be heard in parts of Morecambe and even as far away as Lancaster.
Councillor Bradley said he'd gone to the power stations to investigate and been told it was "nothing to worry about".
An EDF spokesperson said: "During the start-up of one of the units at Heysham 2 a steam system caused some noise. This is unlikely to reoccur as the unit returns to service and we would like to give reassurance to local residents that there is no cause for concern.”
In an unrelated incident, Heysham 1 has been taken offline while investigations are carried out on a steam valve failure.
"Following the failure of part of a steam valve in the Heysham 1 boiler pipework, EDF has taken a proactive decision to temporarily take the station offline, as well as its ‘sister station’ at Hartlepool that has the same valve design," said the spokesperson.
"This enables engineers to safely conduct inspections and for us to find a solution with the valve manufacturers. The work is expected to take a few weeks to resolve."
Engineers will investigate the relevant valve and this can only be done when the reactors are offline and the boilers are not being used to produce steam.
The steam system in these nuclear power stations is similar to conventional power stations and the issue is unrelated to nuclear safety, said EDF.
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