British Antarctic station to shut down for winter due to crack in ice

Halley VI station moved to safer location but staff to be brought home during southern winter as 'prudent precaution'

A British research station on an ice shelf in Antarctica is being shut down over the southern hemisphere winter because of fears it could float off on an iceberg.

The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) said in a statement on Monday that it had decided not to winter at the Halley VI research station on the Brunt ice shelf due to concerns for its staff's safety amid changes to the ice.