THE highly radioactive core of a nuclear power station was shut down after a huge shoal of jellyfish swarmed around the screen used to filter seawater which cools the plant.

Both reactors in Torness power station, on the coast near Dunbar in East Lothian, were shut down as a precaution and nuclear authorities believe there was no safety risk to the public.

It is understood that nuclear scientists feared the jellyfish could be sucked through the filter screen and turned to mush, reducing the cooling potential of the water.

The “high volumes” of jellyfish were in the process of being cleared from the sea around the plant last night.

A spokesman for EDF Energy, which runs Torness, said: “Reduced cooling water flows due to ingress from jellyfish, seaweed and other marine debris are considered as part of the station’s safety case and are not an unknown phenomenon.

“This was a precautionary action and the shutdown cooling systems performed in a satisfactory manner and both reactors were safely shut down.”