Category: Environment Agency

The Bennions of Rosehill Farm, Dymock, were each fined £5,500 and each ordered to pay £25,798 in costs along with a victim surcharge of £170.

More than 15,200 fish were killed as a result of the incident in which hundreds of tonnes of digestate were discharged into the river. Fish killed including brown trout, chub, eel, dace, roach, lamprey, and bream. The Bennions are the sole partners of the partnership that own and run Rose Hill Farm.

The incident, on the 22 July 2016, occurred when an employee was instructed by Mark Bennion to fertilise one of the orchards. The employee turned on the irrigation system designed to take the digestate fertiliser from a lagoon to the orchard.

However, he had not physically checked and therefore did not know that the valve linked to the standpipe in another field was partly open. As a result, when the fertiliser entered the irrigation system, it discharged out of the standpipe, across the field and into the Preston Brook.

The discharge pump operates at 100 tonnes an hour, therefore a very large amount of polluting digestate entered the watercourse. The discharge was the worst in 10 years in the area.

Mark Bennion liaised with Environment Agency officers and submitted a proposal for dredging the brook in order to remove all contaminates. This was completed on 12 August 2016.

Surveys conducted after the incident show the fish population within the watercourse have been significantly adversely impacted. The Leadon is an important habitat for eels and a significant number of adults were lost as a result of the pollution.

In passing sentence, the Magistrates sought to achieve a balance between the major adverse impact on the watercourse and the powerful mitigation put forward on the defendants’ behalf. The Bennions were both previously of good character, with no previous convictions, and co-operated with the Environment Agency immediately after the incident. Their remorse was evident throughout the investigation and court hearing.
Since the incident the Environment Agency have restocked the river with more than 15,000 fish. The restocking process will continue over the next 4 years.

Speaking after the case an Environment Agency spokesperson said:

Agriculture uses 70% of the land in England and farmers have a major impact on the environment. Most farmers act responsibly and we work with the industry to respond to incidents, tackle the root causes of pollution and promote good practice.

But where farmers are responsible for serious pollution incidents, we will not hesitate to take enforcement action, including prosecution. Agriculture is the single biggest source of serious pollution incidents and all farmers have a duty to prevent it.

This was one of the worst pollution incidents on a watercourse in the Herefordshire and Gloucestershire area in the last 10 years. It significantly affected a stretch of the River Leadon catchment.

We are pleased that the court has accepted the seriousness of the case and imposed appropriate penalties.

We appreciate reports from the public to the Environment Agency’s Incident Hotline on 0800 80 70 60 which allows our staff to respond swiftly to protect people, wildlife and the environment – and also to investigate environmental offences which may have occurred.

Residents in two north east communities are urged to attend drop-in events to find out how temporary barriers will help protect them from flooding.

The Environment Agency has been working with partners at Gateshead Council and Northumberland County Council to develop flood barrier deployment plans for Dunston and North Blyth.

The two communities have been identified as locations where temporary barriers could reduce the risk of flooding to properties when high tides are expected.

In Dunston, the barriers will be used along Railway Street between Team Street and Staithes Road.

At North Blyth the barriers will be used along the bottom of Worsdell Street, Dale Street and Gray Street.

The Environment Agency is inviting local residents from Dunston and North Blyth to attend community drop-in events to find out more about how the temporary barriers will be used, and to provide residents with the opportunity to speak to staff. Plans will also be available to show where the barriers will be deployed if needed.

The drop-in events take place on:

• Wednesday 29 November, between 4pm and 7.30pm at North Blyth Bar and Social Club.
• Tuesday 5 December, between 4.30pm and 7.30pm at Dunston Community Centre, Collingwood Terrace, Gateshead, NE11 9EB.

The barriers have previously been used successfully at both Newcastle Quayside and elsewhere in Blyth during January’s tidal surge.

They are a series of one-metre high, lightweight metal barriers which are clipped together and then covered in tarpaulin, before being weighed down by metal chains and sandbags.

David Clark, from the Environment Agency’s Flood and Coastal Risk Management team in the north east, said:

We know the devastating impact flooding has on homes and businesses and are continually looking for ways to protect our communities.

We’ve already used the temporary barriers in real-time during this year’s tidal surge and we are well practised at their deployment to help reduce the impact of the flood.

We’ve been working hard to develop deployment plans for new locations which will benefit from a temporary barrier deployment and I’d encourage residents at both Dunston and North Blyth to come along and find out more about how it will work in their community.

While we can never completely eliminate the risk of flooding these temporary barriers are another weapon in our armoury.

Four sirens, located approximately 250 metres apart in Chiswell, will be activated on Thursday (30 November 2017) at 11am, 2pm and 5pm, weather permitting. Local residents are being informed in advance via a leaflet drop and door-knocking exercise.

Rachel Burden, Wessex Flood and Coast Risk Manager at the Environment Agency, said:

Regular siren testing is an essential part of our forward planning, not only to ensure we are incident ready, but also to make sure our community flood warning and informing measures are effective.

If severe storms hit Portland, the sirens will play a crucial part in alerting local residents to imminent danger and potential evacuation. Ultimately, these sirens could help save lives.

The Chiswell area of Portland is classed as a high risk flood area because of the potential for strong south westerly winds, high tides in Lyme Bay and the close proximity of properties to the sea.

Rachel added:

Chiswell was badly affected by the floods in 2013/2014. It is a vulnerable area and can take a heavy pounding from the tides when the south westerly wind picks up. Although good flood protection measures are in place, we can never fully defend against the worst that Mother Nature can throw at us.

The sirens, which are tested twice a year, are extremely loud so that they can be heard above the noise of crashing waves during a storm. These modern sirens were installed in 2010 and replaced older Second World War equipment. An additional siren was put in during 2015 in order to fill a ‘quiet spot’ which was identified during the storms of the previous winter.

The testing will involve remote activation from our Blandford incident room, from the coastguard’s hut and from the individual sirens. Representatives from the Environment Agency will be on hand to assist.

The day supports the annual Environment Agency Flood Action Campaign.

Two further suspects remain at large and the Environment Agency is urging anyone with information to report it to their incident hotline.

It is suspected they were poaching on Waskerley Beck, Wolsingham, using an illegal gaff – a one meter long metal hook – which they used to take 13 sea trout. Eleven of the dead fish were females ready to spawn. Between them they were carrying around 35,000 eggs.

Environment Agency officers made the arrest at 2100hrs on 21 November 2017. During the operation they seized the gaff, the dead fish and a landing net. The investigation is ongoing.

The Environment Agency’s Kevin Summerson said:

This level of illegal activity could have a serious impact on the sustainability of future stocks of sea trout in the River Wear. That’s why we take reports of suspected poaching seriously and work closely with the police to take action where appropriate.

At this time of year salmon and sea trout are returning to rivers to spawn and protecting returning fish is vital to maintaining a healthy fish population.

We’ll continue to target all aspects of illegal fishing activity, particularly where serious illegal and potentially damaging methods are used.

Reporting illegal fishing

Anyone discovered committing offences could face a substantial fine in court. The Environment Agency urges anyone to report illegal fishing by calling 0800 80 70 60.

All income from rod licence sales is used to fund Environment Agency work to protect and improve fish stocks and fisheries, including improving habitats for fish and facilities for anglers, tackling illegal fishing and working with partners to encourage people to give fishing a go.

Buying a rod licence is quick and easy – you can buy them online at the Post Office.

Marcus Fry and Rob Nichols travelled to London at the weekend to collect their award from SADS UK, a national charity that campaigns to prevent loss of life from Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome.

The pair swung into action after a colleague collapsed at the Environment Agency’s head office in Horizon House, Bristol. The victim, a woman, was unresponsive and struggling to breathe.

First-aider Marcus started administering cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR), then realised he could also deploy an automatic external defibrillator to prevent the risk of brain damage until an ambulance arrived. Software contractor Rob Nichols took over CPR while Marcus powered up the defibrillator.

Project manager Marcus, 55, of Thornbury, said:

These things work on a fluttering heart, so while Rob, a volunteer with West Midlands Ambulance Service, continued the CPR, I put the pads on the patient. The machine did an analysis and instructed us to continue mouth-to-mouth and CPR. After 2 to 3 minutes the paramedics arrived, followed by an ambulance carrying larger equipment, and then a doctor by helicopter.

After 20 minutes the medics stabilised the patient before taking her to hospital, where she was slowly awakened and treated for her heart condition.

Richard Houghton, Deputy Director, Health, Safety and Wellbeing at the Environment Agency said:

We are very proud and grateful of our quick-thinking colleagues whose calmness and first aid knowledge saved their workmate’s life. The health, safety and wellbeing of our workforce is paramount for the Environment Agency, and I congratulate Marcus and Rob on their nomination for this award.

Rapid treatment is essential when someone suffers Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) and the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. If this happens, blood stops flowing to the brain and other vital organs.

A defibrillator sends an electric shock to the heart to restore its normal rhythm. Prompt treatment increases a victim’s chances of survival and reduces the risk of brain damage. Without rapid treatment only around 8% of people survive without neurological damage so every minute counts.

The Environment Agency colleague, after her recovery, said:

I feel like the luckiest person in the world. Marcus and Rob provided the assistance I needed with minimum delay. Their actions were impeccable. I was in hospital for 2 days in an induced coma and thankfully hadn’t suffered any neurological damage when I came around.

In a statement read out at Saturday’s awards ceremony the colleague said, “There are no words in any language that can express the feeling of being resuscitated. They just didn’t give up on me. Gratitude is massive. But yet ‘gratitude’ feels like such a small word.”

Anne Jolly MBE, founder of SADS UK, said:

SADS UK commend the lifesaving action taken by Rob and Marcus. It is good to know there was a defibrillator on the premises and that the Environment Agency has installed more at other offices since this incident.

The introduction of the automatic external defibrillator to the Environment Agency’s Bristol office can be credited to the experience of former Bolton Wanderers’ Fabrice Muamba. When he was aged 23, Fabrice suffered cardiac arrest during a match against Tottenham Hotspurs and was resuscitated after his heart stopped beating for 7 minutes.

Marcus was presented with a Lifepak defibrillator that he is donating to Yatton Keynell Village Hall, Wiltshire.

The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) and the Environment Agency announced today that they are progressing to the next phase of their assessment of a new nuclear reactor design for the UK.

The assessment follows preparatory work by General Nuclear System Ltd (GNS) and the regulators.
The process, known as Generic Design Assessment (GDA), allows the regulators to begin assessing the safety, security and environmental aspects of new reactor designs before site-specific proposals are brought forward.

In addition, GNS will be launching a comments process, which enables anyone to submit comments and questions about the reactor design to the company for their response.

Mike Finnerty, ONR’s Deputy Chief Inspector and Director of ONR’s New Reactors Division said:

The purpose of GDA is to determine whether the design meets the robust safety and security standards to make it suitable for use in the UK. I am satisfied that there are adequate project management and technical provisions in place to enter Step 2 of the process and, as regulators, we can begin our technical assessment phase.

Steve Hardy, Environment Agency Nuclear Regulation Group Manager said:

In this GDA we’re assessing the environmental acceptability of a new reactor design from China, the UK HPR1000. We’ll identify any issues or concerns we have with the UK HPR1000 and work with GNS, CGN/EDF’s company bringing this reactor to the UK, to make sure it understands our expectations and delivers a design that meets them.

We are beginning a process of robust scrutiny on which we will report our progress and findings. People can contribute to this work through the comments process that can be accessed from our websites.

ENDS

Notes to Editors and contact details
Generic Design Assessment (GDA) is a joint process between the Office for Nuclear Regulation and Environment Agency.

GDA enables the nuclear regulators to assess the safety, security and environmental impacts of any new reactor designs at a generic level, before receiving an application to build a particular nuclear power station design at a specific location.

Due to the complexity and the level of scrutiny required in the GDA process it is expected to take around four years to complete, provided General Nuclear System Ltd meet the timetable for submissions and the submissions are of sufficient detail.

Bradwell Power Generation Company Ltd, a joint subsidiary of China General Nuclear (CGN) and EDF, proposes to construct a new nuclear power station at their site next to the existing Magnox site at Bradwell in Essex

Read more about the GDA process on the joint regulators’ website.

Read more about General Nuclear System’s UK HPR1000 website.