The company in charge of decommissioning the Dounreay nuclear site in Caithness have managed to save thousands of pounds for UK taxpayers thanks to the use of aerial drones.

Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd (DSRL), which carries out around 50 building inspections at the site each year, has saved around £100,000 by using the technology.

The method involves a camera mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle carrying out tasks that would otherwise have been done by workers on platforms.

A senior electrical engineer at the site, John Moar, came up with the initiative and carried out research into the potential for using drones.

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As Dounreay falls within a strictly enforced air exclusion zone and is protected by armed officers from the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, Mr Moar undertook a Civil Aviation Authority course in order to secure an exemption from the no-fly zone, before the site bought a drone that was capable of carrying out the inspections for £6,000.

On its first outing, the drone inspected two 20-metre high ventilation stacks. Previously this work would have needed scaffolding and a hired mobile platform, costing thousands of pounds a week.

Mr Moar said: "The team were delighted at the quality and detail of the images and how easy and safe it was to get them.

"Clearly, there are very strict rules in place to protect the safety and security of nuclear sites, so we had to follow a stringent and detailed process to get all required agreements for using drones at Dounreay.

"The potential for using drones doesn’t stop here, I can see how we’d use similar technology for things like 3D modelling and environmental surveys."

(LM/MH)