The state of disposing existing nuclear waste in Britain is "serious and urgent" according to a report by the Royal Society published on Friday.

In a submission to the government consultation on nuclear waste policy, scientists also warn that the research base in this area is diminishing, while those charged with disposing of waste "do not command public confidence."

Successive governments and the nuclear energy industry are jointly responsible for the problem, the report claims.

The industry seems to have regarded treatment of waste as of secondary importance, and to have focused its efforts on countering what it saw as unfounded hostile public opinion and on economic concerns," it says.

"We believe that today's problems are more serious than currently acknowledged."

Following the September 11 terrorist attacks, the Royal Society recommends an urgent safety review, with particular reference to extreme attacks in Britain.

"The UK has lost much of its expertise in the areas of research needed to find solutions," said professor Geoffrey Boulton, chair of the society's working group on radioactive waste policy.

"There has been a failure to recognise that the management, decommissioning and clean-up of radioactive waste require the same focus on research and technological innovation as the original programme to develop the nuclear industry."