Electricite de France, the energy company applying to build a third power station at Hinkley Point, has admitted safety weaknesses affecting 34 of the nuclear reactors it operates in France.

The “anomaly”, highlighted by the French state regulatory body Autorité de Sureté Nucleaire ( ASN ), means that if cooling water is lost from the reactor's primary pressure circuit, the back-up water injection safety system may not be able to prevent a meltdown of the core.