Six containers of nuclear waste have finally reached a storage site in northern Germany, after three days of protests and one of the largest security operations the country has ever seen.
A force of 15,000 German police were needed to remove demonstrators from the final 16km of the route, from Dannenberg to Gorleben. The containers had made a journey of over 1000km by rail, back from the La Hague reprocessing plant in northwestern France. As they arrived at Dannenberg, helicopters circled overhead and armoured personnel carriers and water cannon carriers were used to hold protesters back from the track.
Shipments to the Gorleben storage site resumed in March after a break of three years. The policing bill to protect the last shipment was around $22.5 million.
