Simon Reeve visits Sellafield in the BBC2 series The Lakes with Simon Reeve

Documentary maker Simon Reeve visited Sellafield as part of his series to understand a different sides of the national park.

The journalist toured the site to look at the way Sellafield is decommisioning the site.

Speaking to Head of Operations Richard Edmonson and Head of legacy ponds for Sellafield Ltd, Dorothy Gradon, as well as employees, Simon tried to get this head around the day to day workings of the nuclear site.

Simon said: “I’ve found this place horrifying and astonishing.

"There is some really heroic work being done here to clean up our national problems, nuclear power has got some clear advantages.”

The show, which aired on Sunday evening and is available on the iPlayer, also explored the ways that nuclear waste is stored and what will happen in the future as the site continues in its decommissioning.

Matt Legg, media relations manager for Sellafield Ltd, said:“Simon’s production team approached us earlier this year when they were researching ideas for the show.

“They were keen to understand the history of Sellafield, our current operations, and the role our site plays in the wider community.

“The crew spent a whole day with us in July, filming at locations across the site and talking to a cross-section of our employees.

“Simon was genuinely fascinated by the incredible work going on every day to create a clean and safe environment for future generations. I think his enthusiasm came across really well on the show.

“We’re proud to have played our part in bringing our amazing county to a wider audience.”

The programme also visited the popular tourist attraction Honister Slate Mine near Borrowdale, to look at the ways in which the mine works in its industrial format to produce slate.

Honister Slate Mine is now the only remaining working slate mine in the country.

The Lakes with Simon Reeve has been broadcast on BBC 2 for the past four Sunday evenings.

The show is now available to watch on BBC iPlayer.