Cornwall Friends of the Earth (CFoE) have sent a nearly 900 strong petition to Cornwall county council calling for it to work towards a nuclear free and non non-nuclear dependent Cornwall by becoming a member of the Nuclear Free Local Authorities (NFLA) network .

The demand comes on the heels of this month's government announcement to give the go- ahead for a new generation of nuclear power stations in the UK.

Cornwall Friends of the Earth is categorically opposed to the decision believing that nuclear power has no sane or useful part to play in a sustainable energy strategy.

Spokesperson Clayton Elliott said: "Whilst we certainly do not envisage a rush to construct nuclear plants in Cornwall, this lunatic decision does have consequences for us all. Concentrating on nuclear power will mean under-investment in sustainable and climate change restraining technologies that really could do some good, such as off-shore wind, wave, solar power and combined heat and power. It also illustrates the government's fixation on continuing high levels of energy consumption and economic growth and unwillingness to focus on reduced use and the plentiful opportunities for energy efficiency measures and technologies."

In the 1980's Cornwall became a focus for anti-nuclear campaigning when the then Central Electricity Generating Board announced proposals to investigate the siting of a nuclear power station at one of three sites: Nancekuke, Gwithian and Luxulyan. Mass protests ensued including a six-month occupation of the Luxulyan site; Nuclear Power No Thanks/Nerth Nuklerek Na Vynaff stickers were a common site on lapels, cars and windows. The plans were dropped.