Operators of Sizewell B power station have announced it will be taken offline for planned maintenance work on Saturday.

EDF Energy said the plant near Leiston will stop generating for about a day while engineers top up oil which lubricates bearings on one of the four reactor coolant pump motors.

A spokeswoman said: “Sizewell B continues to operate safely, with the motors running within normal operating parameters.

“We have taken the decision to bring the station offline so we can carry out this work ahead of the next refuelling outage in October.

“This is the second occasion we have brought the station offline this year to top up the oil on this reactor coolant pump motor.

“Loss of oil on this design of motor is a known issue among the large community of end users, and is something that is being proactively managed on a global scale.

“Effective management and monitoring means the oil losses do not affect the safe operation of the equipment or the station.”