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A British rescue team worker in Japan today said he was “disgusted” at being prevented from travelling to the disaster zone.

Willie McMartin, from the International Rescue Corps, told of his “sheer disbelief” that the British embassy refused to provide a covering letter confirming they were a genuine UK charity.

The document was needed to get a permit from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) so they could draw petrol which has been rationed.

Mr McMartin said the team had been give permission by the Japanese embassy in London to join the emergency effort in the north of the country.

“The UK embassy in Tokyo refused to issue that letter, in spite of having talked to the Japanese embassy in London, because they said they would then become responsible for the team,” he told the BBC.

“We were not asking them to take responsibility. We simply needed a sheet of paper to say that we were a genuine, bona fide, UK-based organisation.”

He added: “It is sheer disbelief that we got to Tokyo, that we were told that we would get the document provided we get a one-sheet letter from from the embassy, and they refused it.”

Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt said he would look into what had happened.

Meanwhile workers battling to see off meltdown at the stricken nuclear plant were forced to suspend operations.

Frantic attempts have been under way to cool down the reactors at Fukushima Dai-ichi after a series of blasts triggered by Friday’s 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami.

But chief cabinet secretary Yukio Edano said staff now cannot carry out even “minimal work”, adding: “Because of the radiation risk we are on standby.”

He was speaking after smoke was seen rising from reactor three and a blaze broke out at reactor four for the second time in two days.

Officials had planned to use helicopters and fire engines to spray water in a bid to stave off further radiation leaks and cool down the reactors.

“It’s not so simple that everything will be resolved by pouring in water. We are trying to avoid creating other problems,” Mr Edano said.

Some 140,000 people in the area have been ordered to stay indoors, and panic buying of food and water erupted in Tokyo after radiation was detected in the capital.

Following the crisis in Japan, European energy ministers have agreed at an emergency meeting in Brussels that all 143 nuclear plants in the EU would undergo voluntary “stress tests” to assess the risk from natural disasters.

UK Energy Secretary Chris Huhne insisted he was right to order a UK safety review amid warnings from MPs it could hit investment in a planned new generation of domestic nuclear power stations.

But he also accused other European governments of “rushing to judgments” over the safety of nuclear power in the wake of the Japan crisis.

More than 3,300 people have been confirmed dead and thousands are missing in the wake of last week’s devastating quake.

There have been no confirmed reports of British fatalities but around 17,000 UK nationals are known to have been in Japan at the time the catastrophic quake struck.

More than 500,000 people have been made homeless and a massive aid effort is under way.

Aftershocks continue to rock the country, and a 6.0 magnitude tremor struck in the Pacific just off Chiba prefecture, east of Tokyo, on Wednesday.

The Foreign Office’s emergency helpline has been contacted by more than 5,480 worried relatives and friends seeking news of loved ones.

The British embassy has established a 24-hour consular response centre at a Holiday Inn in Sendai.

The Foreign Office has advised against all non-essential travel to Tokyo and north-east Japan.

Concerned friends and relatives of British nationals should contact the Foreign Office on the special number 020 7008 0000.

The crisis has also hit stocks on both sides of the Atlantic, but Japan’s stocks have shown some signs of recovery.

On Tuesday, the Nikkei closed at its lowest level in almost two years after shedding more than 1,600 points, or 16%, over two days.

But it later temporarily surged more than 6% after Japan’s central bank pumped money into the financial markets.

A UK Government spokesman confirmed they had been in communication with the team from the International Rescue Corps.

He said: “The British Government has been advising the charity as they establish whether they can play a role in the rescue operation.

“However the UK, like all other countries involved, is working to a co-ordinated plan set out by the Japanese government and all support must adhere to this plan.

“We now understand that this IRC team decided this morning to return to the UK, having donated their supplies to the international effort.

“The official UK Search and Rescue Team is continuing with its efforts in north-east Japan.”