The Ministry of Defence this week announced a long-overdue study into the health impact on ex-military personnel exposed to nuclear tests in the 1950s.

But A-bomb test veteran John Taylor, 71, of Carnegie Close, Biddick Hall, South Shields, fears the inquiry could hit a compensation ruling for veterans, expected to be announced very soon.

Mr Taylor, who witnessed nuclear tests without any protective clothing in Maralinga, Australia, as a young RAF leading aircraftman in 1957, said: "It's seems rather strange that the Government has announced this study, just before the result of our compensation case.

"My fear is that this will simply delay matters further and that some of the lads who have been waiting so long for compensation and recognition about how they and their families were affected won't live to see a final result.

"Successive British governments have done the veterans no favours so far, and I just hope this move is not just another way of delaying the case further.

"I believe in the British justice system, but I don't want to see the present Government dragging its feet."

Mr Taylor and fellow South Tynesiders Bede McGurk and Bob Redman are among more than 1,000 test veterans who last year launched a High Court battle for compensation from defence bosses for the alleged effects of radiation exposure during the height of the Cold War.

Announcing details of the study, Defence Minister Kevan Jones said: "I am determined to address the ongoing concerns of nuclear test veterans and their families.

"This work will enable us to ensure that this group are getting the best care possible and identify where any improvements can be made."
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