THE 500-metre jetty at Hinkley Point C has been declared fully operational, keeping hundreds of lorries off the roads.

The first shipload of some 6,000 tonnes of sand was delivered by the vessel MV Aastun, sailing from Bristol Port.

Each delivery keeps around 300 lorry loads off the roads and the jetty is expected to handle the equivalent of around 100,000 lorryloads over its life.

The scale of the operation means that the Hinkley Point C has its own harbourmaster, Will Barker, who said: “The new jetty is part of our plan for helping the construction of Hinkley Point C to be both efficient and to lessen its environmental impact.

“The power station will play a major part in fighting climate change and its low carbon electricity will avoid the emission of over 600 million tonnes of C02. The jetty is an example of how we are making a difference during the construction phase too.”