The government may consider new nuclear sites as part of a long-term energy strategy, according to energy minister Malcolm Wicks.

He told BBC Two's Newsnight that the government has never ruled out the possibility of creating new nuclear reactors on new sites.

But he admitted that the most likely sites for the new reactors are the existing ones.

He continued: "That has a lot of common sense because they're accepted by local communities [and] they're good for the local economy."

Regeneration agencies in the northwest have for a long time said west Cumbria has the potential to be a worldwide centre of excellence in nuclear technology.

Cumbria Vision, the Northwest Regional Development Agency and West Lakes Renaissance all believe that west Cumbria should be considered a priority location for a new nuclear plant.