Anyone caught up in the excitement of the Government’s decision to back a new generation of nuclear power plants last week might benefit from a trip to Sellafield, where the grisly realities of Britain’s past nuclear mistakes are plain to see.

Up there, despite an industry charm offensive, the local seagulls are still radioactive. Like most birds, they are partial to a dip in the local pond. Unfortunately, Sellafield’s ponds contain a highly radioactive sludge full of weapons-grade plutonium, glowing skips of cobalt 60 and even — bizarrely — rotting barley, which I’m told was formerly used to “clarify” the murky green waters. Sellafield has tried everything — from scaring the birds off with klaxons to shooting at them, but it doesn’t work.

Some do manage to fly off, dispersing gunk into the Cumbrian skies. Don’t worry, though, when the gulls are finally caught, they are frozen and stored as nuclear waste.

The search is on to replace Sir Callum McCarthy as chairman of the Financial Services Authority. The headhunter Egon Zehnder International has been appointed to handle the recruitment process.

According to the job specification, Sir Callum's replacement must “have extensive knowledge of financial services” (I should hope so) and be “ready to represent the FSA at the most senior meetings of the Tripartite Standing Committee, alongside the Chancellor and the Governor of the Bank of England”.

The candidate will also be expected to maintain “absolute integrity, honesty and discretion” at all times. This sounds like a change from the financial regulator's dubious handling of Northern Rock, at any rate.

Staff at Royal Bank of Scotland were unlikely supporters of the aborted campaign of US presidential candidate Chris Dodd. The Democrat senator from Connecticut, who is also chair of the Senate Banking Committee, was competing against Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama before he dropped out this month. His campaign received $129,050 (£65,800) from employees at RBS and its affiliates.

BAA seems to have adopted a Soviet-style PR approach to the opening of Heathrow’s Terminal 5. Costa risked the wrath of the airports group yesterday by announcing it had opened the first retail outlet at the terminal. A phonecall from BAA quickly slapped the coffee chain down. “Please speak to us first before you run the story,” a PR said.

Why? “Well Costa isn’t really the first. There’s already a staff canteen.”

Cumbria does seem accident-prone when it comes to energy.

The Health and Safety Executive has been called in after the county's oldest wind turbine, near Hesket Newmarket in the Lake District, was blown over recently.

An investigation is under way to determine exactly why the 100ft turbine, weighing 11 tonnes, came crashing to the ground in what is believed to be the first incident of its kind in the UK.

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