8 November 2007 - British Energy, the UK's biggest power generator, said its Hartlepool and Heysham 1 nuclear power plants would remain shut until inspections of the facilities are completed.

"A timetable for the return to service of these units can only be formed when inspections and a full assessment of the situation have been completed,' British Energy said in a statement.

The generator said on 22 October it had shut the stations to examine a faulty wire winding in Hartlepool's Reactor 1. An inspection of the Heysham 1 Reactor 1 identified a similar problem whereby a wire failed because of corrosion, the company said in yesterday's statement.

Inspections of Heysham 1 Reactor 2 have now started, and the Hartlepool Reactor 2 will be examined "shortly,'" it said.