The local community
will be pleased to know that active measures
have been taken to reduce the unpleasant
odour that has been in Bury St Edmunds over
the last few weeks.
The Environment Agency
has conducted a thorough investigation and
identified that there are actually two odours
from separate sources.
Initial speculation
focused on the British Sugar site being
the source of the smell. Further investigation
found that the odour was coming from some
agricultural compost yet to be ploughed
into land at a farm in Fornham St Martin.
The landowner was contacted and has been
fully co-operative with the Environment
Agency and has already started ploughing
the compost in.
While this eliminated
one source of odour, the persistent smell
and pink colouration in the River Lark in
Eastgate Street area is more complex resulting
from low water due to the unseasonable lack
of rain.
Without rainfall the
oxygen levels in the river fall and create
an unpleasant smell. This can be alleviated
by treating the river with hydrogen peroxide,
a course of action already taken, but this
is a short term solution. All possible measures
have been taken to reduce the odour but
without the normal flow of the river it
is not possible to eradicate it completely.
As a result of this
situation the Environment Agency implemented
regular monitoring and with assistance from
Anglian Water found a source of sewerage
in the Looms Lane area from a misconnected
waste pipe which was fixed on the same day.
Geoff Brighty Environment
Agency Area Manger said: “We take our responsibilities
very seriously and have worked hard on identifying
the source of the odours and finding solutions.
With the composting smell we were able to
take direct action but when the other source
is due to the weather and lack of rain for
many weeks at the end of the summer, that
is not so easy.
“Much has been made
about the Environment Agency saying we need
rain to rectify the problem but that is
the case. Many rivers across East Anglia
are in a state of low flows. And as farm
land is very dry, it will take a lot of
rain before we see rivers and ground water
respond. However, that does not mean we
are simply waiting for rain, we are regularly
monitoring the river and have treated it
with hydrogen peroxide and we have plans
to do so again. But we hope the rain forecast
for this week will improve the river quality
and reduce the odour”
+ More
Environment Agency tackles
Leicestershire’s rubbish rivers
During October 2009
the Environment Agency, working in partnership
with local authorities, will be writing
to people living in areas of Leicestershire
that are worst affected by fly-tipping.
The letter drop began
on 1 October 2009 in the Evington and Willow
Brooks areas.
The aim of the letters
is to raise awareness of the problems caused
by fly-tipping, especially where rubbish
is dumped in a watercourse as there is a
very real danger that it could cause people’s
homes to flood.
There is a continuous
problem of domestic, garden and building
waste being dumped into Leicestershire’s
urban streams and rivers. As well as spoiling
the neighbourhood, it causes a variety of
problems such as reducing the quality of
the watercourse and causing harm to wildlife.
It may cause flooding too, as the water
is not able to flow freely downstream.
Over the past last 18
months, Environment Agency officers checking
Leicestershire’s urban watercourses for
flood risks have removed 60 tonnes of litter.
We removed six tonnes from the Evington
brook alone. The waste includes everything
from urban debris such as bikes and trolleys
to black bin bags and dirty nappies.
Local Environment Officer,
Becky Stewart, says “There is a lack of
respect for our local watercourses. We hope
that, by telling people about the extra
flood risk they face and the harm that is
being caused to the environment they live
in, they will help us to stop fly-tipping.
“Fly-tipping is a criminal
offence. As well as endangering local residents,
disposing of the waste that is collected
from our water courses is costly and that
cost falls on each and every taxpayer.
“At the Environment
Agency we take fly-tipping very seriously
and we do not hesitate to prosecute. But
we need evidence. Anyone who has information
that will help us to identify fly-tippers
can contact us free of charge on our 24
hour Incident Hotline 0800 80 70 60.”
The maximum fine for
fly-tipping in a Magistrates Court is £50,000
and unlimited in Crown Court. It can also
attract up to 5 years in prison if convicted.
+ More
Environment Agency serves
suspension notice following Trent cyanide
pollution
As part of its ongoing
investigation into yesterday’s pollution
of the River Trent, the Environment Agency
has served a Suspension Notice to prevent
Red Industries Ltd of Burslem, Stoke-on
Trent, from discharging any industrial effluent.
Environment Agency officers
have been on site at Red Industries after
tests showed the presence of cyanide at
the sewer discharge point used by the company.
The issuing of the notice
follows swift action by the Environment
Agency in its ongoing investigation into
the source of the cyanide pollution of the
River Trent.
David Hudson, Environment
Manager said: "The pollution has killed
thousands of fish on the River Trent, and
caused a great deal of concern for many
people. This sort of incident is unacceptable
. Our investigation is continuing to ensure
we can take firm action against those responsible.
