5 March 2007: How does your garden glow?

The German Ministry of the Environment has revealed that an ordinary citizen has managed to obtain some enriched uranium, raising concerns about the security of Germany's nuclear reactors.

A spokesman said it was unclear when the man got hold of the 14 enriched uranium pellets, which he had sealed in a steel container wrapped in a plastic bag and buried in his garden. They are analysing the uranium to determine its origin, but it is thought to have come from a nuclear reactor.

Apparently the man wrote to the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, in December saying he had the material and wanted to hand it over, but it was not until last week that officials came to retrieve the pellets. The Ministry explained that passing the letter on to the relevant government department had taken some time.