21-Jul-2006
- The Environment Agency has created 21 jobs after
expanding its customer contact centre to a new
site in Sheffield.
The organisation has two National
Customer Contact Centres based in Yorkshire –
one in Templeborough and now a new centre at The
Quadrant in Sheffield’s Parkway Avenue.
More than 60 people are currently
working at the Sheffield centre, taking enquiries
from the public across the UK.
Staff are trained to advise
on a variety of services and issues. Enquiries
range from people wanting to know whether they
are at risk of flooding, to calls about the causes
of climate change and information on where anglers
can fish.
Customer operations manager
Joanne Price said: "Our new centre can seat
up to 126 people and we will be recruiting more
people later in the year.
"More and more people are
becoming aware of their impact on the environment,
and as a result we are receiving increasing numbers
of calls for advice on how they can make a difference."
The 21 jobs were created when
centre staff also began advising farmers on the
new agricultural waste regulations which were
introduced in May.
Under the regulations, certain
methods of disposing of waste have been banned
and farmers have to register with the Environment
Agency to make sure they get rid of waste safely.
A dedicated team has been set up as part of the
Sheffield contact centre to answer their enquiries
and process registrations.
The regulations brings the sector
in to line with the rest of industry and a special
helpline is available for farmers on 0845 603
3113.
The Environment Agency is a
public body set up to protect and improve the
environment in England and Wales.
It has around 12,000 employees
whose work includes protecting people from flooding,
working with industry and government to make the
environment a priority, and improving the quality
of land and air.
Anyone with an Environment
Agency query can call the National Customer Contact
Centre on 08708 506 506.
Francesca Glyn-Jones
