Hundreds of workers from the MEH Alliance have been told not to return to the job until next Monday.

Workers staged the sit-in protest following safety concerns over clocking-in arrangements.

Site management told the protesters not to return to the site until next week without pay.

A heavy police presence was also evident the next day with workers sharing photos of a fleet of police cars with the Enquirer.

Workers claim they are being forced to clock-out unsafely in a crane-lift zone which is denied by management.

MEH staff have also voted to reject new shift patterns.

A spokesperson for Hinkley Point C said: “We have experienced unofficial industrial action being taken by members of the MEH workforce.

“There are well established processes with trade unions to resolve any workplace concerns and unofficial action is not acceptable. As a result, MEH workers have been told not to return to site until Monday. Other construction workers continue to work as normal across the site.

“Along with our trades union partners and MEH management team we encourage a return to following the agreed processes.”

The spokesperson added that the clocking-out safety concerns have been investigated and there was found to be no risk to workers while it was common to have a police presence at the site.

A worker told the Enquirer: “Hundreds of safety-conscious nuclear construction workers have been locked out without pay for raising legitimate hazard and fatigue concerns.”