Rachael Collins - 5-Sep-2008
- A large boom, which stops the spread of
pollution, will be used on the River Thames
on Thursday 18 September 2008 as part of
an Environment Agency training exercise.
The Environment Agency
regularly practices its response to incidents
and this exercise will be testing its staff
and equipment in responding to a major pollution
incident.
The Thames Boom will
be deployed between 10am-12pm near Sunbury
Lock on the River Thames.
Environment Agency training
coordinator Guy Elliot said: “This type
of training is vital for environment officers
so that they are familiar with the equipment
and are able to deploy it should a major
pollution spill hit the Thames. It could
make the difference between a clear up operation
or an environmental disaster.
Officers are used to
dealing with small scale booms on smaller
watercourses, but putting a large boom such
as this across the Thames is a major undertaking.
Therefore, while we appreciate that this
may inconvenience boaters, I hope they understand
just how important it is for us to carry
out such training to prepare for major incidents.”
No boats will be allowed
to navigate between the head of Platt's
Eyot (also known as Thornycroft Island)
and Sunbury Lock for the duration of the
training exercise. Boaters will be advised
of the temporary closure by both Molesey
and Sunbury Locks as they approach the location.
The Environment Agency will also have patrol
boats on the river ensuring the safety of
river users throughout the exercise.
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Environment Agency locates
source of industrial pollution in Kent
Georgina Harris - 1-Sep-2008
- Following reports from several members
of the public of a polluting substance in
Swalecliffe Brook, Whitstable, Kent, Environment
Agency officers have traced the pollutant
to a surface water discharge from Joseph
Wilson Industrial Estate.
The Swalecliffe Brook
flows through Chestfield and Swalecliffe
where it enters the sea at Long Rock. In
order to track down the problem, the Environment
Agency has used a number of techniques.
Continuous monitoring has been used to determine
how often and what time the discharge was
taking place and officers have worked closely
with Southern Water Services to insert cameras
into drainage pipe work to look for clues.
A hazardous waste audit and pollution prevention
campaign was conducted at every business
on the trading estate.
The pollutant was believed
to be a mixture of chemicals used for a
range of commercial purposes, the majority
of which are of moderate to low toxicity
to aquatic life. Now that the polluter has
been located, the discharge has completely
stopped.
Jon Griffin from the Environment Agency
said:
“For legal reasons we
are unable at this time to name the parties
involved in this pollution. However, we
are aware that local residents were getting
concerned about the situation and are glad
that all the work we have put in to find
the culprit has led to a satisfactory conclusion
and a complete stop to the illegal discharge.
“If members of the public
witness any other similar incidents of suspected
pollution, they can report it to us 24 hours
a day using the Environment Agency Hotline
on 0800 807060. Our investigative techniques
are getting more varied and sophisticated,
so local communities can feel confident
that we will continue to work hard, protecting
the environment by tracking down offenders.”
+ More
Environment Agency prosecutes
North Kent haulage company
Georgina Harris - 1-Sep-2008
- The Environment Agency has prosecuted
a waste haulage company for inadequate legal
documentation regarding their activities
at disposal sites in North Kent.
Lock Bros (Haulage)
Limited pleaded guilty to the offence at
Bexley Magistrates’ Court today (Monday
1 September 2008) and were fined a total
of £2,000 and ordered to pay costs
of £841.32.
The Environment Agency
routinely audits waste that is taken to
permitted disposal sites and the hauliers
and operators who carry waste. The Environmental
Protection Act 11000 states that registered
waste carriers are required to retain their
waste transfer notes for a period of two
years and to produce them when required.
In late 2007, Environment
Agency officers were carrying out audits
of waste streams into certain disposal sites
in North Kent. As a result, on 2 January
2008, a notice was served on Lock Bros (Haulage)
Ltd asking for all waste transfer notes
for a three month period.
In response to this
notice, the transport manager Mr Brian Revell
phoned the Environment Agency on 1 February
2008 to say that he did not keep these documents,
but that one copy was given to the disposal
site and one sent to the client. He wrote
to confirm this conversation on 6 February,
stating that now he was aware of the requirements,
there was a new system in place to ensure
documentation was kept in the future.
Mr Revell was invited
to a formal interview under caution, which
he attended on 4 March 2008 and confirmed
again that his company had not kept any
transfer notes as required by the legislation.
Duncan McClintock from
the Environment Agency said:
“This company are a registered waste carrier
and therefore should be well aware of the
environmental legislation applicable to
their waste business. Unfortunately, as
they have failed to keep the relevant transfer
notes, we have been prevented from properly
auditing the company’s waste activities”
In mitigation, Lock
Bros (Haulage) Ltd entered a guilty plea
at the earliest opportunity and the
Environment Agency accepts
it was a genuine lack of awareness of the
part of the company.
+ More
Environment Agency emergency
teams respond to serious sewage pollution
in Ashurst over the weekend
Joe Giacomellie - 1-Sep-2008
- Environment Agency officers acted quickly
to minimise the damage caused by a serious
sewage pollution incident that killed a
large number of fish in a New Forest river
on Saturday (30 August 2008).
The Environment Agency
received reports from members of the public
on Saturday that Bartley Water at Ashurst
in Hampshire had turned a milky colour and
that dead fish were floating on the surface
of the water.
Emergency teams from
the Environment Agency discovered hundreds
of dead or dying fish, including the internationally
protected bullhead and brook lamprey, brown
trout, sea trout, eels and loach, downstream
of Ashurst Bridge. The incident is thought
to have been caused by a discharge of sewage
from a pumping station there which is owned
and operated by Southern Water.
To deal with the incident
Environment Agency officers worked with
Southern Water staff throughout the weekend
to reduce the impact of the incident by
pumping a mixture of hydrogen peroxide into
the river to break down the sewage and provide
oxygen for fish and other species.
Dave Robinson of the
Environment Agency said: “Sewage can be
very harmful to aquatic life as it contains
ammonia and it strips the oxygen from the
water with the effect of either poisoning
or suffocating life in the river.
“Due to our efforts
throughout the weekend the environmental
impact will now be greatly reduced. I would
like to thank the people who reported this
incident to us, as this meant that we could
respond immediately to minimise any further
damage caused by the pollution. Surveys
of the affected stretch of river will be
taking place over the next few days to assess
the impact of the incident and plan how
we can assist it’s recovery.”
The Environment Agency
is now conducting a formal investigation
into the incident. Members of the public
are encouraged to report any instances of
pollution to our incident hotline on 0800
807060.
