It seems EDF heard the plea to recognise the negligence it was carrying out by continuing to operate its building site at Hinkley, but did it act appropriately? Its workforce, the community at large and even the local MP are pleading with the company to make a sensible decision now.

To cut the workforce by half sounds dramatic but it is nowhere near enough. It’s like they are bartering with their workers and the locals’ lives. Many small businesses would be envious at the moment to think all they had to do was cut by half to continue. Restaurants would have closed half their tables and cut half their kitchen staff if this was sufficient and socially responsible.  

Two thousand workers at HPC is still 2,000 too many. Why has EDF shut Flammanville, France except for essential services, and Bridgwater, England been treated differently?

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Jenny Harries said the critical time is the next three weeks. She explained that everything possible must be done to minimise the peak.  We hear the strap lines, ’Stay at home. Protect the NHS. Save Lives’. EDF you need to hear this.

Decisions made today will change the pathway of opportunity for the disease and impact on all of us for a generation.  

What we need now is some decisive decisions made by the man in charge; the referee needs to act before it’s too late. Can Boris be bold enough to give EDF the red card?  

New nuclear has played over its time. Boris now needs to pick up and blow the final whistle. 

Jo Smoldon, Bridgwater