Severn Summer Floods - Secret Services - "D" Notices and nuclear power alerts

Mr Snow on Channel 4 News tells us tonight that a report of the HOC Intelligence and Security Committee (shortly to be chaired by that human dynamo Margaret Beckett) that in the flooded Severn valley, GCHQ was under threat , although there are details about those moist days which even they will not publicly discuss. Nor would Channel 4 at the time , under threat from the quaint "D" notice system.(Daily Torygraph)

However readers will remember a post of Saturday, July 28, 2007 - Civilization stopped from descent into 3rd world conditions by bags of sand

"There was something delightfully primitive that the miracle of electricity was saved for some 600,000 consumers, including GCHQ and it's spooks and the (don't mention under threat of 'D' Notice Oldbury on Severn Power Station - an antique Magnox site opened in 1967 and due to shut in 2008) by schoolboys dressed as soldiers manually filling and carrying sandbags to keep God's Acts at bay and civilisation just hangin in there.. "

It appears that even the slumbering guardians of national security, not alerted by the seers and seaweed watchers at the Meteorological office are now aware that it was a damn close run thing this summer and ..." well...er...something must be done...lessons learned...

The report says that a cross-party committee will now undertake a review of “business continuity arrangements” of all three security agencies - MI5, MI6 and GCHQ.... spread the blame, share the burden, point the fingers .... (Hint : get the Met office in and give them a bollocking for being so piss poor at forecasting)

Don't by the way mention anything about the antique Magnox type (due to cease operation this year) Oldbury on Severn Nuclear Power Station ..."D" Notice old boy, nudge , nudge , wink, wink. Although it might explain why the BBC reported that the station re-opened on August 24th .."A nuclear power station shut down in July has started generating power again. " .. only to shut down again days later... stories of a vibrating turbine.

This is what the report said about the incident at GCHQ, interpreted by some as folks staying on site 24/7 because they couldn't get home, not quite James Bond but above and beyond .. (Click to enlarge)

This was another fascinating little tidbit in the report..

Those interested might well read this fascinating report about asymmetric warfare by use of low tech VOI comms in Lebanon and China..."Military Hackers Turn To Commercial Electronic Attack Tools" and you are probbly reading it B4 the spooks do.