A renowned scientist has been approached to investigate whether there is any link between a nuclear power station and increased levels of cancer.

Nuclear Free Future, which is lobbying against plans for a second nuclear station in Hartlepool, has commissioned epidemiologist Professor Chris Busby to complete the study.

The announcement comes days after figures revealed that the number of men who died of cancer in the town is 32 per cent higher than the national average.

According to the statistics from the Hartlepool Primary Care Trust, the number of women dying from all forms of cancer is 18 per cent above the national rates.

John Bloom, co-ordinator of Nuclear Free Future, said: "The possibility that low-level radiation emitted by the plant may have increased the number of cancers in the town cannot be entirely discounted."

However, he said that the high cancer rates in Hartlepool could be explained by a range of other factors, including smoking and poor diet.

"Anecdotal evidence of unnaturally high levels of cancer are rife. For instance, I know a health worker who deals with childhood leukaemia in the town.

"This person says they have worked with ill children all over the country but they have never known as many leukaemia cases as Hartlepool."

The group will attend a full meeting of Hartlepool Borough Council tomorrow and will ask them to help foot the £1,900 cost of the survey.

A British Energy spokesman said: "There is no proven link between cancer clusters and nuclear installations in the UK.

"We cannot comment on research that has not even been done yet. However, we carry out extensive environmental research ourselves that is independently verified by the Food Standards Agency, the Environment Agency and Her Majesty's Nuclear Installation Inspectorate."

The study is designed to coincide with the ongoing debate over plans for a second power station in Hartlepool.

Nuclear Free Future recently teamed up with Greenpeace to publicise a report that revealed 73 per cent of Hartlepool residents would prefer offshore wind farms to a second nuclear plant.