ANTI-nuclear campaigners have dismissed a health report into the possible cancer-causing effects of RAF Fylingdales as "noticeably insufficient in key areas."

The investigation was ordered by the Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale Primary Care Trust (PCT) in the wake of residents' concerns that radar emissions from the base could cause health risks.

The report, published last week, found no significant difference in the pattern of cancer occurrences between the trust area and the Northern and Yorkshire Region as a whole and concluded that the low radio frequency radiation from the North Yorkshire base posed no risk to the local community.

But the Yorkshire Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) said the investigation did not go far enough and is calling for further work to be done.

Yorkshire CND Development Worker Neil Kingsnorth said: "We are glad that this study took place, but only as a first step to further investigation.

"The report is useful, but it falls far short of what is needed. Fylingdales poses a potential threat to health through the rare type of pulsed radiation and through the long-term effects of the radar's beam.

"The Government has a responsibility to fully investigate the whole spectrum of potential health effects of this type of radar, over the long-term and short-term, and to study the type of radiation itself, which is little understood. This report has not done that.

"We will be pursuing the issue further to find out what steps the Government plans to take next to implement a full, significant investigation."

The study, which focused on cancer registrations between 1991 and 2000, found that for all cancers and for three of the four site-specific cancers - lung, female breast and colorectal - the rates for the wards around Fylingdales were either statistically significantly lower or similar to the PCT as a whole.

However, both the PCT and Ryedale District Council agreed that ongoing research was needed.

Updated: 09:55 Monday, December 01, 2003