NUCLEAR safety firm RM Consultants has been taken over by French energy giant Areva for an undisclosed sum.

RMC employs 45 people in Abingdon and 80 in total across four UK sites. A further 20 jobs are expected to be created this year.

Spokesman Helen Higgs said: "RMC is being absorbed into a huge company and has been bought for its niche skills that were not available before."

"With the purchase of RMC, Areva now has strategic expertise in nuclear and environmental safety, as well as extensive knowledge of regulatory bodies and procedures."

Areva chief executive Dominique Mockly said: "The acquisition of RMC translates our desire to be an active part of the nuclear renaissance in Great Britain."

Areva employs 1,800 people in the UK, with its transmission and distribution division covering six sites.