Tag: Environment Agency

The press release issued by the Environment Agency on 23 May 2023.

The Environment Agency’s major project to reinstate the flood defences in Matlock has reached a significant milestone with the completion of the flood wall.

The press release issued by the Environment Agency on 22 May 2023.

A father who ran an illegal waste business with his son at their home in Cornwall was sentenced to a suspended jail sentence by magistrates.

The press release issued by the Environment Agency on 10 May 2023.

Annual works by the Environment Agency to reduce the risk of flooding for Lincolnshire’s coastal communities has now started (8 May).

Over the next 6 to 7 weeks, around 400,000 cubic metres of sand will be topped up on beaches between Saltfleet and Gibraltar Point. Thus, reducing the risk of flooding for Lincolnshire’s coastal communities.

The Environment Agency’s annual beach management sees sand dredged from licensed areas of the seabed. This is then pumped onto the beach to replace levels naturally lost to the sea throughout the year. This reduces the risk of flooding for 20,000 homes and businesses, 24,500 static caravans and 35,000 hectares of land.

Replenishing the sand means that the beaches, instead of hard defences like sea walls, take the brunt of the waves’ force and energy. This reduces the amount of damage and erosion to those hard defences and lessens the risk of water overtopping them.

The Environment Agency has been restoring sand levels on the Lincolnshire coast every year since 1994. In addition to reducing flood risk, the work brings supplementary social and economic benefits by retaining the sandy beaches for a vibrant tourism industry.

Deborah Campbell, Flood Risk Manager at the Environment Agency, said:

As well as reducing the risk of flooding to 20,000 homes and businesses, 24,500 static caravans and 35,000 hectares of land. The work helps maintain the county’s sandy beaches for us all to enjoy.

But despite our best efforts, flooding can still happen. That’s why we urge people to prepare and plan for the worst, including by signing up to receive free flood warnings.

Starting at Huttoft on 8 May, the work will progress along the coast in stages at these approximate dates (subject to change):

• Huttoft, 8 to 12 May.
• Mablethorpe, 13 to 15 May.
• Trusthorpe, 16 to 23 May.
• Sutton on Sea, 24 to 25 May.
• Boygrift, 26 to 31 May.
• Chapel Six Marshes, 1 June to 5 June.
• Trunch Lane, 6 June to 11 June.
• Ingoldmells, 11 June to 15 June.
• Wolla Bank, 15 June to 18 June.

People visiting these beaches on days that work is under way are asked to stay clear of the worksites.
The £7 million beach management work is funded as part of the Environment Agency’s capital programme. The programme is a record £5.2 billion government investment in England’s flood and coastal defences to better protect hundreds of thousands of properties by 2027.

The Environment Agency urges people to plan ahead for flooding. They can find out if their property is in an at-risk area by signing up for free flood warnings. Further information on all these steps and more is available at GOV.UK/Flood and by calling Floodline on 0345 988 1188.

The press release issued by Environment Agency on 9 May 2023.

New climate friendly, low-carbon concrete mix used for the first time in the UK to construct North East flood schemes.

In a UK first, the Environment Agency, BAM Nuttall, Arup and Tarmac have successfully trialled the use of two low carbon concrete mixes for works at the Hexham Flood Alleviation Scheme.

The low-carbon concrete has been used across 3 panels, totalling 27 metres of the £6.5 million Hexham flood defences as part of a plan to reduce their carbon footprint, the Environment Agency (EA) has said.

Hexham is a popular tourist destination in Northumberland with visitors able to observe salmon leaping at the masonry arch bridge, dating back to 1793.  The Hexham flood alleviation scheme will help to protect up to 90 properties in one of the town’s most important commercial areas, providing increased job security by protecting the places people work, keeping businesses open and supporting the wider local economy.

The flood alleviation scheme is almost complete on the south bank at Tyne Mills Industrial Estate and features a new structure installed across the Skinnersburn which would also stop the River Tyne backing up when levels are high. The improvement works to the north bank at Bridge End Industrial estate consist of flood walls and embankment as well as featuring the sections of low carbon concrete at the former Reiver Sports site.

The EA say that more than half of its carbon footprint comes from the construction of flood defences. Using low carbon concrete, such as a new Portland limestone mix, developed by Tarmac, will improve Hexham’s resilience to the changing climate while also playing an important part of the organisation’s steps towards Net Zero targets.

So far, the trial has presented positive carbon savings compared to a standard concrete mix offering up to 70% reductions of CO2 emissions per cubic metre of concrete delivered to site.

It is hoped that the trials to find new ultra-low-carbon concrete alternatives, will enable future Environment Agency flood defences across the North East to be built more sustainably, with lower embodied carbon. They will also support the delivery of new sustainable concrete products, to the wider construction industry and help to achieve targets outlined in the Net Zero North East England partnership. This collaboration between local government, business, education, the public sector and civil society aims to drive a comprehensive regional approach to tackling the climate emergency.

Leila Huntington, Environment Agency Operations Manager, said:

“The Environment Agency is committed to helping the nation be more resilient to flooding, coastal change, drought and climate change. We all have a role to play in tackling the climate emergency which is why the Environment Agency has committed to reaching Net Zero by 2030. To achieve this we have to adapt, try innovative approaches and ensure that climate and sustainability are at the heart of what we do.

“The trial of low carbon concrete in Hexham is a fantastic example of how we can work with our partners to continue to build flood defences to better protect communities from flooding, whilst also focussing on sustainability, the environment and reducing our carbon emissions.”

Ruth Young, area carbon and sustainability lead for BAM, said:

“As the Environment Agency’s construction partner in the North East, we are carefully considering how we can limit the environmental impact of the flood defence work we deliver without compromising the strength and resilience of these structures.

“We identified Tarmac’s new low-carbon concrete mixes as innovative products, which have the potential to reduce our overall carbon impact across the framework.

“We are working closely with the Environment Agency, Arup and Tarmac, to ensure the materials can be approved for use and look forward to seeing these being used on more civil engineering schemes in the future.”

Robert Gossling, head of commercial engineering solutions at Tarmac, said:

“This flood defence project in Hexham highlights the clear sustainability benefits which can be achieved when clients and contractors work in partnership, in this case engaging to help understand the benefits and reduce the concrete carbon footprint of the Environment Agency. The testing comparisons will help build confidence in these new products.

“Against the backdrop of a climate emergency, the use of these mixes marks another important step for the UK concrete and cement industry along its path to net zero. We’re committed to demonstrating innovation in low carbon solutions, and we hope that the success of this trial will help accelerate adoption of this and other types of new, sustainable concretes – delivering long-term benefits for the industry.”

The press release issued by the Environment Agency on 28 April 2023.

The press release issued by the Environment Agency on 28 April 2023.

Largest ever fine imposed for environmental offences in the East region.

Anglian Water pleaded guilty and was hit with a fine of £2.65m after allowing untreated sewage to overflow into the North Sea following a prosecution brought by the Environment Agency.

A catalogue of failures by the company to manage and monitor effluent at the Jaywick Water Recycling Centre in Essex led to sewage being discharged into the sea.

These discharges occurred because Anglian Water decommissioned a piece of equipment, which led to the conditions for untreated sewage to be released into the North Sea. It failed to act on available data that would have alerted it to the issue. There was also a lack of an alarm system to inform the water company of how often these discharges were occurring.

Anglian Water was ordered to pay prosecution costs of £16,520.09 and a victim surcharge of £170 at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court (27 April 2023). Resulting in a total financial penalty of £2,666,690.09.

It is the largest ever fine imposed for environmental offences in the region.

Since 2010, water companies have been responsible for self-monitoring water recycling sites with the Environment Agency guidance to inspect sites every 8 years.

An investigation in 2018 found that the discharges into the North Sea, recorded over a month between June and July, was the equivalent of more than 3 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Or 7,500,000 litres.

The Jaywick Water Recycling Centre does have an Environment Agency permit, which only allows discharges into the sea during storm conditions.

Sentencing Anglian Water, District Judge King said ‘more could and should have been done’ to prevent this pollution.

He added that it should not have taken Environment Agency officers to spot what was happening during a routine inspection. And said they simply ‘heard, looked and saw’ what Anglian Water operatives, who were present on site every day, should have seen.

He told the court the fact that ‘Anglian Water finds itself in court so frequently’ must be reflected in the level of the fine. And referred to ‘a clear pattern of the company not responding adequately’ to previous penalties.

Environment Agency Chair Alan Lovell said:

The Environment Agency’s officers were instrumental in highlighting the scale of Anglian Water’s discharges into the North Sea – equivalent to three Olympic swimming pools of waste water in a month – and ensuring the water company has been made to pay for its pollution.

The Environment Agency will pursue any water company that fails to uphold the law or protect nature and will continue to press for the strongest possible penalties.

Water Minister Rebecca Pow said:

I am clear that water companies must not profit from environmental damage.

This latest result follows on the heels of a £2.1m fine handed to South West Water. In both cases, the fines will rightly be paid solely from the company’s operating profits and not passed on to customer bills.

Going forward all fines will be paid into our Water Restoration Fund to support projects that will help improve our natural environment and our water quality.

Jeremy Hay, Senior Environment Officer at the Environment Agency, said:

This prosecution highlights the volume of sewage being discharged into our waters is unacceptable and that the Environment Agency is taking action to make sure polluters are held to account.

We welcome the sentence, which sends out the message that we will not hesitate to prosecute companies which endanger communities and disregard the environment and the law.

Polluters should always be held to account, and, as much as our resources allow, we will always investigate significant pollution incidents and bring those responsible before the courts.

If members of the public are concerned about pollution, they should call our 24/7 incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.

Overall, water quality in our rivers, estuaries and coastal waters has improved greatly over the last few decades. Largely due to robust regulation by the Environment Agency and investment by the water companies.

The number of serious water pollution incidents caused by the water and sewerage companies has been reduced dramatically, from over 500 in the early 1990s down to just 62 in 2021.

The bathing waters around our coasts are in the best state they have been for decades. In 2022, 72% of beaches and inland waters met the ‘Excellent’ standard, the highest since new stringent standards were introduced in 2015.

The court heard how Anglian Water could have done more to prevent these discharges. Data was available to indicate storm flows were occurring in dry weather which should have prompted an investigation by Anglian Water.

There was also no alarm in place to indicate regular storm overflow operation and prompt further investigation. The court also heard how a simple ‘walkover’ inspection would have alerted Anglian Water to the issues.

The blockage was cleared by Anglian Water in August 2018.

Anglian Water have since taken several actions to address issues found at the site. These included ensuring equipment was in working order, implementing a regular cleaning regime, and increasing the storm flow separation weir height to reduce the possibility of premature overflows.

The press release issued by the Environment Agency on 26 April 2023.

Largest ever fine imposed for environmental offences in Devon and Cornwall as South West Water is told by court ‘incidents of pollution will no longer be tolerated’.

The press release issued by the Environment Agency on 25 April 2023.

A County Durham man has been sentenced to suspended jail time for repeatedly storing and burning waste in a prosecution brought by the Environment Agency.

Christopher Williams, 64, of Acton Dene in Stanley, appeared at Peterlee Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 18 April where he pleaded guilty to two charges of operating an illegal waste site and one of not complying with an Environment Agency notice to provide information about waste disposal.

Prosecuting on behalf of the Environment Agency, Chris Bunting told the court that Williams dumped and burnt waste on a smallholding at School House Farm in Kiln Pitt Hill, near the A68 and Derwent Reservoir.

He was sentenced to 36 weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to pay £1,000 in costs.

The land was not authorised for any waste activities and the court heard that it would be very unlikely that a waste operation would be allowed at that location.

Advice and law ‘deliberately disregarded’

Andrew Turner, Area Environment Manager for the Environment Agency in the North East, said:

Environmental permits are in place for the protection of the public and environment and waste crime such as this – burning waste like plastics and treated wood that produces a toxic smoke – can be extremely damaging.

Our officers repeatedly told Williams to stop burning waste and clear it from the land but he deliberately disregarded their advice and the law.

We take all waste crime seriously and I hope this sentence sends out a message to others that we will take tough action against those who flout the rules. People can report waste crime to our 24-hour hotline on 0800 807060.

Environment Agency investigation

Williams operates an organisation known as the LCA Community Charity, which provides help to people, schools and other charities with clothing and furniture, and offers house and shop clearance services. However, the court heard that Williams regularly dumped and burned residual waste from those activities at the smallholding.

In March 2020, the Environment Agency received a report of burning on land at School House Farm. Officers attended and saw mixed construction and household waste, including a metal garage door, plastic guttering, wood, a shopping trolley and a fridge. They also saw evidence of burning, with a one-metre high pile of ash.

Officers instructed Williams to stop the fires and clear the remaining waste from the land, but checks at the end of May revealed more waste had been dumped with nearby piles of ash from fires.

Williams said no further burning would take place and he would clear the site of waste and at the end of August 2020 the site was largely cleared.

During the following months officers continued their investigation into the waste activities and issued a notice to Williams requiring him to provide documentation relating to the removal of waste from his site, so the EA could track its disposal. They didn’t receive a response and Williams received a fine, which he did not pay.

In March 2022, Environment Agency officers again attended the farm, and again saw household waste had been dumped, along with doors, window frames and furniture. Two months later, several reports were received of waste again being dumped and burned on the site, and inspections revealed a large pile of ash with a new, more concealed burning location discovered and waste hidden under a tarpaulin.

The court was told that Williams had twice been convicted in the past 9 years for similar offences involving waste burning. Magistrates decided that although a custodial sentence was inevitable, it could be suspended on account of the guilty pleas and testimonials from people who had been supported by donations received.

The press release issued by the Environment Agency on 25 April 2023.

The Environment Agency is launching today a second 4-week consultation on a proposed change to discharge water at Hinkley Point C nuclear power station near Bridgwater.

Our proposed decision is that we should grant the permit variation for the water discharge activity. The limits and conditions attached to the permit will make sure that people and the environment are protected from water discharge under normal operation.

To reach our proposed decision, we considered relevant legislation, policy and guidance alongside responses to our initial consultation on the application.

Assessments were also carried out on habitats, sites of special scientific interest and the Water Framework Directive (WFD).

The existing permit regulates the operational water discharge activities from Hinkley Point C. These are discharges of non-radioactive liquid effluents and include:

• returned cooling water from the turbine condensers
• trade process effluents from the various plant systems (including those that maintain water purity and chemistry to keep the best operating conditions and maximise efficiency)
• treated sewage effluent (from staff welfare facilities)

The draft varied permit will also now regulate returned seawater through a fish recovery and return system.

As a result of our assessment on the impact of the fish recovery and return system discharge, we propose including limits on volume, rate and the total biomass discharged from the fish recovery and return system outlet.

We propose removing all conditions (or parts of conditions) relating to the acoustic fish deterrent (AFD).

We have concluded that there would be no adverse effect on the integrity of the relevant European sites (in relation to pollution from regulated discharges to waters) if there is no AFD in place. This includes those sites functionally linked to the Severn Estuary.

We have also concluded that the proposed permit variation will not cause the current status of the  water bodies to deteriorate, nor prevent them from achieving their objectives.

The draft varied permit includes the requirement to use an additional operating technique and an improvement condition. It also includes two pre-operational conditions which need Environment Agency approval before the proposed power station can be commissioned or begin to operate.

This is to make sure that NNB Generation Company (Hinkley Point C) Limited builds and operates the proposed power station according to the commitments made in its permit application.

We intend to publish our final decision in summer 2023.

The press release issued by the Environment Agency on 24 April 2023.

Schoolchildren taught about period products and why they should never be flushed down the loo.

Over 10,000 school children across South West England and East Anglia have been taught about period products and why they should never be flushed down the loo.

Award-winning education programme Rethink Periods has reached thousands of pupils across the Interreg Preventing Plastic Pollution (PPP) project area in the last 18 months (see attached list).

The Rethink Periods programme, run by environmental not-for-profit organisation City to Sea and funded via the Environment Agency as a PPP partner, is a free schools training programme updating mainstream period education in primary and secondary schools.

It offers unbiased training and materials on all period care products available and explores the social and environmental context that periods sit in.  Part of the PSHE (Personal Social Health Education) accredited programme highlights the environmental damage caused by flushing menstrual products.

Many people do not realise how much plastic is embedded into the products, not just the outer packaging. For example, a big-brand pack of 14 menstrual pads contains the same amount of plastic as 5 carrier bags.

Pupils also learn that period products block sewer pipes, creating overflow that escapes into our rivers and seas. Currently, around 2.5 million tampons, 1.4 million pads and 700,000 panty liners are flushed every single day in the UK, costing water companies around £100 million every year as they deal with the resulting blockages.

An early pilot of the programme found that:

• 72% of teachers had previously thought that flushing tampons down the toilet was okay
• Students were 25% less likely to use disposable tampons and 50% less likely to use disposable pads after the unbiased lessons
• Students were 4 times more likely to try  plastic-free disposables after the unbiased lessons and three times more likely to try  menstrual cups.

Sarah Martin, Environment Agency project lead, said:

We are proud to have played a part in such a culturally and environmentally significant project informing young people about the hidden plastic in period products to help promote reusable and plastic-free period care as an alternative to brands we’re more familiar with. It has been very encouraging to have such a positive response to the training programme.

Jo Taylor, Rethink Periods co-ordinator at City to Sea, said:

Historically period education has been monopolised by big-brands only talking about the products that they sell. We don’t think this is fair – everyone has different needs, different bodies, different lifestyles, and financial means. We believe that every child should receive unbiased, clear, and accessible information about periods and period products so they can decide about what is right for them and their bodies.

The initiative is one of many projects being funded by the 3 year cross channel Interreg PPP project – a partnership of 18 organisations which aims to identify and target plastic hotspots, embed behaviour change in local communities and businesses, and implement effective solutions and alternatives.

The project builds on Environment Agency goals and commitments outlined in its five year plan to create better places for people, wildlife and the environment.

Background

City to Sea

City to Sea is  a  Bristol-based not-for-profit organisation, campaigning to stop plastic pollution at source. It’s award-winning campaigns are tackling the single-use plastic items most found on beaches and in rivers and oceans by providing practical solutions and championing reuse over single-use.

City to Sea is behind the award-winning Plastic Free Periods campaign, the Refill Campaign, which has saved 100 million plastic bottles from entering our waste stream and #SwitchTheStick preventing over 478 tonnes of single-use, plastic-stemmed cotton buds from being produced each year.

Interreg Preventing Plastic Pollution (PPP) (@Plastic_EU):

PPP seeks to understand and reduce the impacts of plastic pollution in the river and marine environments by looking at the catchments from source to sea.

PPP is a €14million funded EU INTERREG VA France (Channel) England Programme project co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund which works mainly across pilot catchments: Brest Harbour, Bay of Douarnenez, Bay of Veys, Test and Itchen, East Hampshire, Poole Harbour,  Medway, Tamar, and the Great Ouse catchments.

Partners are the Environment Agency, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Queen Mary University of London, LABOCEA Conseil, Expertise et Analyses, Syndicat mixte établissement public de gestion et d’aménagement de la baie de Douarnenez, Office Français De La Biodiversité, Parc naturel marin d’Iroise, Brest Métropole, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Counseil départemental de la Manche, Institut français de recherche pour l’exploitation de la mer, The Rivers Trust, Syndicat de bassin de l’Elorn, ACTIMAR, Brest’aim, Westcountry Rivers Trust, South East Rivers Trust, and Plymouth City Council.