Nuclear power station Sizewell B was shutdown for maintenance this morning after fears of a potential fault.

A spokesman said it was shutdown at 7am to allow planned maintenance to be carried out.

EDF Energy took the decision to take the station offline in a controlled manner, after instruments in the control room indicated there could be a potential problem with the lubrication system.

Jim Crawford, Sizewell B station director, said: 'The instruments showed there could be a potential problem.

'As safety is our over-riding priority, we took the conservative decision to shutdown the reactor to allow our staff to go in a fully investigate the issue and take corrective action, if necessary.'