A new campus housing 1,000 Hinkley Point C workers could be built near the M5 in Somerset.

The EDF-owned nuclear plant is proposing new temporary accommodation next to Junction 24 of the motorway as its workforce swells.

The campus on Notaro Way, near Huntworth, would be made of modular accommodation blocks and feature a restaurant, bar, gym, shop and lounge areas. The site would also have a 700-space car park, as well as 200 cycle and 15 motorbike spaces.

A dedicated bus service would transport workers to and from the Hinkley Point C site.

Hinkley Point C already has 2,500 beds at three campuses in Bridgwater, Brean and on the construction site itself.

According to EDF, the new temporary campus will ease pressure on the local housing market during the power plant's construction - after which the modular units would be removed and the site made available for future use.

Around 12,000 people are currently working on the construction site, with a further 3,000 expected over the next year as the power station’s fit-out phase accelerates.

Andrew Cockcroft, head of stakeholder relations at Hinkley Point C, said: “The planned new temporary campus is an important step in easing pressure on the local housing market. It’s close to the motorway junction, making it easy to reach and will also create 90 new jobs available to people in Bridgwater.”

The full application will be submitted in the autumn, with drop-in events available in early September for the public to find out more about the proposal, Hinkley Point C said.

Construction work on the Bridgwater plant began in 2016 but has been hampered by delays and funding issues. Last week, the power plant announced a huge dome had been lifted into place on the second nuclear reactor, closing off the building.

Once it is built, Hinkley Point C is expected to provide six million homes in Britain with low-carbon energy. The scheme was originally estimated to cost £18bn, but last year EDF confirmed its .