Union leaders have warned that up to 8,000 jobs are at risk at British Nuclear Fuels.

They say the possible cuts are the result of government plans to hand responsibility for decommissioning publicly owned nuclear facilities to a new state-owned body.

Next April, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority will take over ownership of BNFL's Magnox nuclear power stations at Sellafield.

Amicus, the country's largest private sector union, said that it would "oppose the outsourcing of any core work" at Sellafield and added that, under current plans, the complex's permanent staff would be reduced from 12,000 to about 4,000 by 2011.