POWER station bosses have been accused of covering up the seriousness of a radiation leak earlier this month.

The Environment Agency admits there was an escape of radiation into the air from Hartlepool nuclear power station, but a statement says, the "maximum exposure to radioactivity a person could have had from this incident would be an additional two microsieverts.

"For comparison, an individual in the UK receives an average 2,200 microsieverts from natural sources each year.''

The agency says there was no breach of authorised discharges of radioactive discharges, and the wind direction at the time of the release, on June 9, was out to sea.

Despite these assurances, Hartlepool borough councillors Geoff Lilley and Michael Turner want a meeting with leading officers from the council and power station managers.

Coun Lilley says he has unconfirmed reports of people in protective clothing monitoring the perimeter of the station days after the leak.

He said: "The whole thing smacks of a cover-up and if it's not a cover-up, it is incompetence. This is about trust and getting some feeling of confidence back in Hartlepool nuclear power station."

The councillors have asked council chief executive Paul Walker to set up a meeting with the council's emergency planning team and British Energy as soon as possible

A British Energy spokesman emphatically denied any suggestion of a cover-up or men in radiation suits patrolling the perimeter.

He said the tiny amount of escaping water vapour was "managed through a controlled route". He said: "We would be happy to have a discussion.''

A council spokesman said: "The council is aware of the situation which was contained on the site and placed no one at risk. We are in receipt of correspondence from Coun Lilley and will be responding at the earliest opportunity."