The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has been accused of failing to get a grip on soaring costs.

These include costs for the next five years, which a Commons committee chairman has claimed should be more predictable. The criticism comes as the authority, responsible for sites including Hinkley Point A, searches for a chief accountant to work on managing systems handling the authority’s annual budget.

Edward Leigh, chairman of the influential Public Accounts Committee, commenting on a PAC report on decommissioning out today, put the latest total estimate at £73bn ­ a rise of 30% since 2003. ‘We cannot be confident that even this figure will not be significantly upped,’ he warned.