Strike a light for posterity at Dounreay

A CIGARETTE lighter in the shape of the Dounreay Fast Reactor dome is one of a numbers of items now being saved for future generations as the disused nuclear plant is cleared out over the next 15 years.

It was produced by construction company Motherwell Bridge, which was responsible for building the iconic dome.

When the sphere underwent its final pressure and vacuum tests in 1957 the company organised a 700-mile round trip to Caithness for its workers and issued the lighters as a permanent memento

James Gunn, heritage officer at Dounreay Site Restoration, the company in charge of decommissioning the plant, said: “Historic Scotland and the National Museum of Scotland both recognise the historical significance of what we have here. In 50 to 100 years’ time – when Dounreay is gone – there will be tremendous interest.”