Category: Environment Agency

It will take place on Saturday 7 October 2017, from 9am to 3pm.

No-one ever knows where or when the next flood will occur, but with 1 in 6 properties at risk across the UK, the public are being urged to check if their property is one of them, and do everything they can to prepare if it is. This day aims to give the people of Kent the opportunity to find ways of reducing the impact of flooding both to their homes and their communities.

Local residents will be able to see a range of practical events. These will include demonstrations of the Environment Agency’s demountable defences and building sand bag walls. There will also be lively talks, workshops and an exhibition area where practitioners, including Kent Emergency Planners, Kent Police, Kent Fire and Rescue and many more, will be on hand to give expert advice. The day will take place at:

Steve Scully, Senior Resilience Officer with the Kent Resilience Team, said:

This event brings together the network of support organisations that exist to warn and inform people but that also provide training and infrastructure to help build robust local community plans that we action if and when it floods.

Jenny Newham, Environment Agency Engagement Officer added:

This event has been designed around feedback from our volunteer community flood wardens across Kent and aims to inform and enthuse individuals and community groups about the local roles they can undertake to help be prepared.

For more information or to register for this event, please e-mail krf.events@kent.fire-uk.org or via jenny.newham@environment-agency.gov.uk.

For all media enquiries, please call 0800 141 2743.

A community drop-in is being held in Marston Moretaine for the public to find out about the Environment Agency’s role in the energy from waste (EfW) incinerator facility proposed at Rookery Pit, Stewartby.

The Environment Agency will be asking people for comments on the applications for an environmental permit it has received from Covanta Energy Limited.

The event is being held at Forest of Marston Vale Centre, Station Road, Marston Moretaine, Bedford, MK43 0PR on Wednesday 20 September, 1:00pm – 7:00pm.

The Environment Agency’s role is to make sure that energy from waste facilities are designed, built and run to meet legal environmental standards ( the Industrial Emissions Directive) and to meet the conditions of their environmental permit (the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016).

If a permit were to be issued the Agency would be the regulator for on-going compliance monitoring of the incinerator.

The Environment Agency will only issue a permit if it is satisfied that the plant will be designed, built, operated and maintained in such a way that the requirements of the relevant EU Directives are met and that human health and the environment are protected. This will be decided following consultation with the relevant Local Authorities and their Health Departments, the Food Standards Agency, Public Health England, the Health and Safety Executive and other identified statutory consultees.

The public consultation period will run from 11 September to 23 October 2017.

The start of the consultation period has also been advertised on the Environment Agency website on gov.uk.

On-line option

People unable to attend the drop-in or wanting to provide formal comments to be considered during the determination by the Environment Agency, should send them to psc@environment-agency.gov.uk or write to: Environment Agency, Permitting Support Centre, Land Team, Quadrant 2, 99 Parkway Avenue, Sheffield, S9 4WF. Please quote permit application number EPR/WP3234DY/A001.

To provide comments online and to view the documents that form part of this consultation, follow this link

Interested parties can also make an appointment to view a copy of the draft permit and draft decision document at the local Environment Agency office, located at: Bromholme Lane, Brampton, Huntingdon,
Cambridgeshire, PE28 4NE.

The Environment Agency (EA) has been on site near Peakshole Water in Castleton, Derbyshire, following a spill of cooking oil in a surface water drain. Approximately twenty-five litres of used cooking oil were accidentally spilled into the drain, which leads into Peakshole Water.

After a member of the public reported the pollution, Environment Agency officers worked with Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service to ensure a clean-up operation could get off the ground as soon as possible. Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service was able to reach the scene of the incident quickly, which meant that the oil was prevented from spreading further down the drain towards the watercourse.

The Environment Agency soon joined their Fire and Rescue colleagues in Castleton, using booms as well as absorbent pads to contain and absorb the oil.

Castleton is a popular tourist destination in the Peak District National Park. There have been no reports or sightings of affected wildlife and an investigation by the Environment Agency did not identify any environmental impacts.

Commenting on the joint clean-up operation, EA environment officer Paul Reeves said:

The response to the cooking oil spill incident in Derbyshire on Saturday is an excellent example of how strong partnership work can help us protect wildlife and the environment. We were able to respond quickly by combining resources with Derbyshire Fire and Rescue, thereby keeping the impact to the environment in this beautiful area within the Peak District National Park to a minimum.

This incident was reported to us by a member of the public. These reports are very valuable in helping us in our efforts to protect the environment, and we’d like to encourage anyone who observes a suspected pollution to report this to our incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.

The Environment Agency has joined forces with expert anglers to collect valuable fisheries data for the River Tees.

The fifth annual River Tees Championship – a fishing survey match organised by the Environment Agency – saw 46 anglers take part.

Areas of the middle River Tees not normally fished were surveyed during the competition last Sunday, 3 September, from Croft to upstream Piercebridge.

The results were good, with all sorts of species caught and recorded during the valuable event.

Phil Rippon, Environment Agency Fisheries Technical Specialist said:

Despite low river levels making fishing conditions difficult, a variety of species were caught, including dace, chub, perch, bream and trout, with all sizes and numbers logged.

The data alongside our own surveys, will help us and our partners to better target habitat and fisheries improvements as well as helping us to understand about the distribution of fish species in the Tees.

Our thanks to the angling clubs and landowners who supported the survey, and to the organisers.

The winner of this years’ championship was Ant Smith who caught 21lb 7oz of Bream, Dace and Chub. All fish were safely returned to the river.

Environment Agency officers visit each bathing water beach from May to September every year to see what levels of bacteria are present in the water. Officers use results to maintain and improve bathing water quality.
Across Tendring, the majority of beaches have “good” or “excellent” water quality, based on regular water sampling by specially trained officers from the Environment Agency.

A huge amount of work has been carried out with partners at bathing waters across the area to maintain and improve water quality. As part of this, additional sampling is taking place at Clacton bathing water to help us obtain a clearer picture of pollution sources. A period of testing is being conducted this week, with samples of groundwater being taken from under the beach.

John Daniels, Senior Environment Officer, said:

Tendring’s bathing waters were generally of a very high standard, with excellent and good ratings for most beaches.

Samples are taken regularly throughout the bathing water season and this enables us to check they are safe for people to enjoy. We know how much people like going to the beach and the great benefit this has on the local economy. We will continue our work to ensure these standards are upheld.

We are working closely with partners to try and establish the cause of bathing water quality issues at Clacton. Investigations have led us to believe that contaminated groundwater is the most likely source of the problem.

We will continue to investigate the pollution sources at the beach to help improve water quality.
The public can also do their bit to keep our beaches clean. Last month the Environment Agency and partners continued their #binit4beaches campaign to encourage people to help keep beaches clean by always putting wet wipes in the bin – not flushing them.

Full details of the water quality results for Clacton and all bathing waters can be found at the Environment Agency’s bathing water quality data page: Bathing water quality page

The River Stour, which runs along much of the Suffolk/Essex border, will be utilised this weekend by up to 300 canoes and kayaks as dedicated paddlers navigate some 22 miles, through up to 18 portages from Sudbury, through Constable Country all the way to the coast at Cattawade.

The annual Sudbury to the Sea event, organised by the River Stour Trust, takes place this weekend (September 9 and 10) and thanks to the efforts of the Environment Agency those taking part will be enjoying a much clearer journey.

Dozens of fallen trees and other blockages have been cleared from the waterway, while several landing points have been repaired or refurbished in time for the event.

Environment Agency officers will be on hand alongside event marshals and River Stour Trust volunteers throughout the weekend to offer advice and answer questions from the public at key sites on the route as well as assisting participants as they negotiate some of the portages.

Among the locations that have undergone work is the portage at Lamarsh Regulator weir, which has been refurbished by the Environment Agency Waterways Operations team.

Paul Separovic, Waterways Operations team leader for the River Stour Navigation, said:

The Environment Agency has worked really hard and is responsible for maintaining the River Stour Navigation. We work closely with our partners on the river via the River Stour Users Group and the River Stour Trust to enable as many people as possible to fully enjoy what this beautiful river has to offer.

The River Stour is navigable from Brundon Mill just upstream of Sudbury all the way through to the tidal waters of the Stour Estuary at Cattawade and Manningtree for unpowered craft and a short section of a few miles is also open to powered craft.

Sudbury to the Sea is an annual event that attracts a surge of visitors to the river and is the River Stour Trust’s prime event on their calendar. It provides an ideal opportunity to showcase to a wider audience all that the River Stour has to offer. Over recent years we have invested on improving navigation infrastructure on the river and on maintaining and keeping the navigation clear.

Catherine Burrows at the River Stour Trust said:

We work in partnership with the Environment Agency and we would like to thank them for efforts made to maintain and keep the River Stour Navigation in working order.

We believe the upcoming Sudbury to the Sea event will be a great success and it gives people a chance to see what the River Stour Trust is doing to promote the river as a navigation and what our aspirations are for the future. Should anyone further wish to participate in this year’s event or future events or find out more about the River Stour Trust, please contact us.

The company already held a permit to drill the exploratory borehole and manage wastes arising from that process. This variation allows them to drill a new borehole, drill a side track from the original borehole and carry out flow testing to understand the long term economic viability of the oil and gas reserves. No hydraulic fracturing will take place as part of this activity.

The company has also been issued with an environmental permit to allow them to store oil on site following production.

The company will need to adhere strictly to the conditions set out in these permits, which will ensure the local community and environment are protected.

The Environment Agency considered the opinions raised by local people during the 4 week consultation with communities, interested groups and other professional organisations before reaching this decision.

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said:

We would like to thank all those people who responded to the consultation. Since the consultation period closed, Horse Hill Developments Limited has provided additional information to clarify some of the aspects of their application for flow testing.

After considering all of the information available and completing our assessment we are confident that the environment and people will be protected. Environment Agency officers will now ensure compliance with these operating conditions during the next phase of works.

For all media enquiries please contact 0800 141 2743 or email Southeastpressoffice1@environment-agency.gov.uk.

The Environment Agency project has refurbished the lock, in East Farleigh near Maidstone, Kent, stabilised the weir, and installed a new fish pass. The previous lock was last refurbished over a century ago, and these improvements enhance and protect the River Medway for local residents and river users.

The refurbished lock was constructed within the existing lock and not only secures the future of the structure but improves the safety and convenience for boaters using it. New features include improved mooring systems, new access steps, and new rubbing timbers and fendering to reduce the risk of damage to visiting vessels.

Wildlife on the River Medway will also benefit from the works at East Farleigh. A new fish pass has been installed alongside the weir, providing climbable slopes for fish wanting to travel upstream, meaning freshwater fish, such as barbel, roach, perch, dace, chub and pike, will be able to pass the site freely.

Julie Foley, Environment Agency Area Manager, said:

The lock refurbishment is a £3.65 million investment in the River Medway that will be a great asset to visitors, river users, and wildlife for many years to come.

With a newly refurbished lock and weir we will be able to continue to maintain the upstream water levels for boaters, anglers, cyclists and walkers to enjoy, and the lock is essential for a number of commercial river operators.

It’s great for the river that 9 of the 10 locks on the River Medway now have fish passes in place. Allowing free movement of fish will ensure that it becomes a healthier river than it has been in at least the last 250 years, offering better access to spawning grounds for fish.

For all media enquiries please contact 0800 141 2743 or email Southeastpressoffice1@environment-agency.gov.uk.

The drop-in session will be held on Monday 18 September 2017, 2pm to 6:30pm at:

The Environment Agency is a partner in a major project – Unlocking the Severn – which aims to significantly increase populations of fish on the rivers Severn and Teme by removing barriers and enabling fish to migrate upstream to their historic breeding grounds. Through work at a number of key sites on both rivers, including Powick weir, the project will reopen 250km of river habitat for all fish species and secure the UK breeding population of the rare twaite shad.

As owners of Powick weir, the Environment Agency investigated options which would maintain and improve fish stocks in the River Teme. When assessing options to improve fish passage, each weir is considered carefully from environmental, navigational, operational and flood risk perspectives. The Environment Agency has fully considered the options available for fish passage and is confident that partial weir removal is the best solution for this location as it will achieve the best long term environmental benefit for the River Teme.

David Clarke, Project Executive from the Environment Agency said:

Weirs are physical barriers to fish migration and great progress has been made in enabling fish to access the upper reaches of rivers again in recent years.

Over the last year we have carried out detailed assessments, habitat and aerial surveys, and modelling work to plan the best solution for the Powick weir site – for improved fish passage and to assist the natural recovery of the river. The upcoming drop-in event is an opportunity to provide an update to interested parties on our plans, ahead of work starting in June 2018.

There will be information displays and representatives from the Environment Agency available at the session to answer questions and to discuss the scheme in greater detail.