Disruption caused by ongoing strike action at Sellafield has been described as ‘minimal’ and not illegal by police.
Members of union Unite, who work for contractors at the nuclear site, have been striking over pay.
The union says workers should receive a Sellafield-specific allowance because they are highly skilled and work in a hazardous environment.
Strike action has included marches on roads around the site.
The industrial action has caused misery for thousands of commuters.
Earlier this week, Cumbria Crack was sent footage of a march and a song said to refer to ongoing strike action.
Now called the Sellafield shuffle, union members are believed to be taking as long as possible to complete the marches previously agreed with authorities.
Commuters have reported it taking them six hours to get onto or off the site in the morning, when a normal journey would take an hour.
People not working on the site have also shared plans on social media to set off at 4am in an attempt to avoid the traffic chaos caused by the action.
Marches this week have started at around 4.30am and have taken up to five hours to complete, Cumbria Crack understands.
The disruption has brought the legality of the road marching action and their impact on local people into question.
Under UK law, the wilful obstruction of highways is considered a criminal offence.
New legislation was also introduced in 2023 alongside the Public Order Bill to give police powers to intervene against slow marching tactics.
While the Sellafield shuffle appears to employ similar slow march tactics used by Just Stop Oil activists, Cumbria police said the action being taken by strikers was not criminal.
Police added the force were informed of the protest activity taking place, which is a legal requirement.
A spokesman for the constabulary said: “Officers have been present at industrial action and protest related activity, which is taking place around the Sellafield site.
“This is the second week of such activity.
“Officers deployed to the location have a legal obligation to facilitate peaceful protest.
“Those members of the public engaged in this activity have a lawful right to protest, which is a fundamental freedom in this country.
“This must be balanced with keeping the public safe, preventing crime and disorder, and seeking to minimise disruption.
“Whilst some disruption has been experienced, there has been no increased risk to members of the public, nor any incidents or instances of disorder or related criminality.”
Cumbria police added that some minor traffic related offences were recorded this week.
It added these incidences were being reviewed and that proportionate actions in relation to these occasions would be taken.
Cumbria Crack asked Cumbria police what steps were being taken to manage the impact of the strikes on the wider community.
The constabulary said the disruption was minimal and only impacted specific people in the area.
A spokesman added: “Members of the public are reminded to consider potential delays in and around the location whilst this activity takes place, and to plan accordingly.”
Unite said it believed strikers had the full support of the local community.
Unite regional officer Ryan Armstrong said: “Unite members are exercising their democratic right to peaceful protest and are marching along the perimeter of the Sellafield site under police escort.
“These marches are nothing new during periods of industrial dispute at the Sellafield site and our members have the full support of the local community in their fight for better terms and conditions.”
Cumbria Crack managed to obtain a document believed to have come from the Sellafield joint disputes committee, which said it believed Sellafield was ‘turning a blind eye to conflict in its own backyard’.
It added that the dispute has reached a defining moment and that strikers were not ‘optional extras’ and are a test of whether Sellafield Ltd, the NDA and Government were serious about safety.
It added that if parties continued to resist pay demands: “They will face not only industrial dispute, but the scrutiny of a community that sees through the hypocrisy.”
Sellafield Ltd has maintained that it is not involved in the dispute.
A spokesman said: “The industrial action taking place at Sellafield is the result of a pay dispute between some Unite union members and their employers.
“As the people involved are not employed by Sellafield Ltd this is not a dispute that we can resolve.
“Our priority, as always, is to maintain the safety and security of the Sellafield site.
“We have provided guidance to our employees who may be impacted in travelling to the site during the action.
“We will also continue to support Cumbria police as they work to minimise the impact of the action on the local road network.”
The industrial action, which began last Saturday, is due to continue until Monday, October 13. A continuous overtime ban will start the following day.
Unite represents around 1,500 workers.
