Nationwide Crash Repairs has been fined £21,000, with £2,080 costs, after pleading guilty to five charges relating to its failure to control the radioactive source found in anti-static guns.

The charges, brought by the Environment Agency, said the Nationwide Crash Repair outlet trading as Cars of Kidderminster, in Worcestershire, lost a radioactive source in September 1999 but had not informed the EA or the police. A subsequent EA investigation in August 2000 unearthed a series of non-conformities, including inadequate radioactive source security and a lack of procedures and records to ensure all units were accounted for.

EA process industry regulation inspector Stephen Riley, who was involved in the investigation, said: “Companies permitted to use radioactive sources have serious responsibilities to handle and store them properly and ensure that they are not lost or mislaid.

“If they are lost we need to be informed without delay and necessary action taken – Nationwide Crash Repairs failed to do this.”

A Nationwide spokesman said action had been taken to ensure the situation would not occur again.