SUMMARYThis paper presents a direct boundary element method of numerical analysis, formulated in the Laplace transform domain, for a plane strain analysis of a linear thermo-poroelastic material consolidating in the presence of a heat source. The equations governing the behaviour of the material are assumed to be a set of self-adjoint and fully coupled linear equations. A physical intepretation of the constants appearing in the linear theory relevant to engineering applications is presented. A boundary integral equation is developed from the governing equations in a straightforward way using the properties of Dirac delta functions, and an approximate boundary element method of numerical analysis is implemented using the Green's functions derived previously by the authors. The numerical analysis presented is motivated by the engineering design of a heat generating radioactive waste repository located deep underground. For this reason, there is a description of the application of the boundary integral equation method presented to the numerical solution of several problems of theoretical and practical interest in the area of radioactive waste disposal in clay-like soils.