WINFRITH'S former nuclear site could boost Dorset's economy by creating up to 2,500 new jobs over the next ten years.

The site is already home to 1,500 workers and Winfrith has plans for another 450 jobs for new businesses on an area near the main entrance.

But site head Alan Neal revealed this could just be the tip of the iceberg for an employment success story.

He added that the infrastructure for the 350-acre complex was so complete that it could eventually attract enough new businesses to bring the number of jobs at Winfrith up to 4,000, perhaps within ten years.

Mr Neal, speaking during an open day, said the site already had 40 businesses with the potential land to attract many more.

He said: "We want to decontaminate the nuclear site safely and economically to create a thriving centre for employment for many more businesses."

Mr Neal added that by 2020 only two reactors and a store would be left to deal with, while the rest of the site would be available for re-development.

He said: "We have a clear vision of what we want for this site and good progress has been made."

A wide range of businesses already provide jobs at Winfrith and the nuclear facility's former operating manager Andy Staples said that work to free up more land to attract businesses and jobs could only be good news for the Dorset economy.

He added: "Clearing the site up for new jobs is the key.

"If we can do that and attract businesses bringing in 2,500 jobs then the value to Dorset would be enormous."

Winfrith was built in the late 1950s to undertake research and development in electricity generation from nuclear power.

At its peak it employed 2,000 people and at one time had nine experimental nuclear reactors, but in the 1990s the Government wound down its nuclear programme and work started to restore the site.

To date all fuel has been removed from the nuclear reactors and six reactors have been completely dismantled with many other facilities decontaminated.