The report's author radiation expert and Green Party spokesman Dr Chris Busby, claims to have found that children there are 11 times more likely to develop myeloid leukaemia than the national average. The town is five miles from Oldbury nuclear power station on the banks of the river Severn, which campaigners claim has been found to contain high levels of radioactive particles.
Myeloid leukaemia is a very rare form of cancer which is strongly associated with radiation.
It also reveals that children in Chepstow run a higher risk of developing all cancers at 3.54 times the national average. Campaigners believe that the findings are comparable with the Sellafield leukaemia cluster which was highlighted in the 1990s. Dr Busby applied for similar information to be released from the South Western Cancer Registry to find out if the incidence of cancer is as high on the English side of the river Severn. But, he claims, he was refused access to the information on the grounds of patient confidentiality.