South West Water has been ordered to pay £89,000 in fines and costs for polluting a stream in Woodbury near Exeter. The case was brought by the Environment Agency.

A court heard how large numbers of fish died following the incident at Ham Lane Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) in September 2014 following an illegal discharge. CSOs are allowed to discharge during storm conditions to prevent the internal flooding of properties. They are not permitted to operate during periods of dry weather.

The spill was caused by a blockage that resulted in effluent being discharged into a nearby stream over one to two days. The pollution adversely affected water quality in the stream and killed more than 150 fish.

The water company must report any fish kills that occur following a pollution incident. It failed to report this important information to the Environment Agency.

Instead, a witness alerted the Environment Agency to the seriousness of the incident after seeing South West Water staff collect and remove dead fish from below the CSO discharge pipe over several days as part of its remediation work on the stream.

The discharge occurred during a period of dry weather. The dead fish included minnows, stone loach, bullhead and eels.

Pete Ball of the Environment Agency said:

It is important water companies regularly inspect and maintain their structures and assets such as CSOs to ensure they are operating in accordance with their permit and do not cause pollution.

While South West Water responded quickly to this incident, it failed to report the extent of the environmental impact of this spill, especially the fish deaths.

Appearing before Exeter Crown Court, South West Water Ltd was fined £70,000 and ordered to pay £19,023 costs after pleading guilty to breaching its environmental permit at Ham Lane Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO), Woodbury on or around 27 September 2014.

A high-volume pump used during major flood events will be tested in Somerset next week (4 to 6 April 2017) as part of Exercise Wessex Flare – a 3-day training exercise run by the Environment Agency.

The 24-inch diameter steel and alloy diesel pump is capable of pumping 1,650 litres of water per second – the equivalent of filling 20 baths in a second. It will be loaded onto an 8-wheel lorry at its base in Bawdrip village, and transported to the remote North Drain pumping station several miles away.

A team of incident operatives and experienced pump specialists from across the country will then attach the 12-tonne pump to 40 metres of pipework over a period of at least 8 hours before setting it in motion.

Operations manager Robbie Williams said:

Flooding can have a devastating impact on people’s lives and homes. We care about our communities and want to do whatever we can to help prevent this type of incident. Using pumps to manage water levels and reduce the impact of flooding is one of the many ways we can do this, alongside temporary defence barriers.

Preparing and practising pump deployment helps to ensure we act more quickly and effectively. It’s also an opportunity to develop knowledge and skills so people can confidently operate this type of heavy machinery nationwide, with the help of the military and other groups.

The exercise builds on Exercise Wessex Teal where Wiltshire-based soldiers were trained to deploy temporary defence barriers. Some of those soldiers will be on hand to watch the pump in action and learn how it works. The Environment Agency’s new Incident Command Unit (ICU) will also be on-site streaming live images of the exercise back to the Agency’s Bridgwater incident room.

The ICU serves as a mobile incident room and temporary headquarters for staff out in the field, enabling better site management, situational awareness and visibility in flood risk communities.

It is important everybody is aware of their own flood risk. People can find out how to get ready and check their flood risk on GOV.UK or calling Floodline on 0345 988 1188.

Vital work to reduce the risk of flooding to more than 3,200 homes and businesses in Exeter reaches another key milestone this weekend as work around the Quay area of the city is halted to avoid disruption to visitors and businesses over the summer. Work will resume in October.

Over the past 5 months contractors working on behalf of the Environment Agency have been building a flood defence system that will be put in place when flooding is expected and then taken down when river levels recede. The defence follows the line of the existing bollards.

A temporary tarmac surface is to be laid to some of the Quay area for the summer as further works in these areas will be necessary. The reinstatement of permanent surfaces will be made at the end of the works in 2018. At Piazza Terracina works are now nearing completion with permanent paving being laid. Over the weekend BMM JV are putting the finishing touches to defences in this area.

Richard Cox, project manager for the Environment Agency, said:

We are making substantial progress and would like to thank all businesses, residents and visitors for their patience and co-operation.

We appreciate this work has caused disruption to the Quay and other areas of the city. Once complete this £32 million scheme will reduce the risk of flooding to thousands of homes and businesses in the city.

During winter 2017/18, BMM JV will be back at the Quay to complete flood defences around Quay Bridge and the Samuel Jones pub area. Some disruption will be experienced during this time but the Quay will remain open throughout works.

Work is due to start at Eagle Cottages and Haven Road after Easter.

BMM JV is still on site at Bonhay Road where works are due to finish later in the summer. This is later than anticipated due to very poor ground conditions. The appearance of the new 400m flood defence wall being built from Flowerpots to Exe Bridges has caused concern among some members of the public. The Environment Agency wishes to reassure the public that the flood defence, once complete this summer, will be clad in brickwork and have the grassed banks reinstated on both sides.

The flood defence construction works are programmed to finish in 2018.

Stay updated about Exeter flood defence scheme by:

• subscribing to GovDelivery emails
• following @EnvAgencySW, @ExeterCouncil or @DevonCC on Twitter using hashtag #ExeterFDS

Notes to editors

Phase 2 of Exeter’s £32 million scheme started in July 2016.

Phase 1 of the scheme got underway in 2014 and saw construction work just downstream of Exeter Quay. The Trew’s flood relief channel and the side spill weir at the top of the channel have been lowered. This increased the flow capacity of the flood relief channel, which will help reduce flood risk during high river flows.

Exeter City Council and Devon County Council each contributed £3 million to the scheme. The remainder is funding from Central Government.

The AP1000® nuclear reactor, designed by Westinghouse, is suitable for construction in the UK said the regulators today following completion of an in-depth assessment of the reactor design.

The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), the Environment Agency (EA) and Natural Resources Wales (NRW), the regulators who undertake the Generic Design Assessment of new reactor designs, are satisfied that the reactor meets expectations on safety, security and environmental protection at this stage of the regulatory process.

ONR has issued a Design Acceptance Certificate (DAC) to Westinghouse and the environment agencies have issued a Statement of Design Acceptability (SoDA).

Dr Richard Savage, ONR’s Chief Nuclear Inspector, said:

The closure of our assessment of the generic design of the AP1000® reactor is a significant step in the process, ensuring the design meets the very high standards of safety we expect.

We will now focus our regulatory attention on site specific assessments, and NuGen’s application for a nuclear site licence.

Dr Jo Nettleton, Deputy Director for Radioactive Substances and Installations Regulation at the Environment Agency, said:

Successfully completing GDA means that the AP1000 is capable of meeting the high standards of environment protection and waste management that we require.

We’re already working with NuGen, as it develops its proposals to build and operate three AP1000 reactors at Moorside in Cumbria, to ensure that those high standards are delivered.

The regulators required 51 GDA Issues to be resolved before confirming the suitability of the AP1000. All of the issues have been addressed to the regulators’ satisfaction enabling the DAC and SoDA to be issued. The regulators’ assessment reports are all available online

ENDS

Notes for Editors

1. The Office for Nuclear Regulation is the nuclear safety and security regulator for the UK.
2. The Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales are the environmental regulators of nuclear sites in England and Wales respectively.
3. More information on Generic Design Assessment on the joint regulators’ website http://www.onr.org.uk/new-reactors/index.htm

4. All assessment reports, decision documents and a copy of the Design Acceptance confirmation (DAC) and Statement of Design Acceptability (SoDA) are available online ONR http://www.onr.org.uk/new-reactors/ap1000/reports.htm
   Environment Agency http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gda-decisions-and-soda-ap1000-nuclear-power-station-design-by-westinghouse-electric-company

5. The DAC and SoDA are valid for a period of ten years from issue and can be extended subject to review and agreement of the regulators.
6. The issuing of a DAC/SoDA does not mean the construction of the reactor can start. Before a new nuclear power station can be built, the operator (NuGen in this case) must obtain a number of site specific permissions from the regulators and Government, including a nuclear site licence and relevant consents, environmental permits and planning permission (Development Consent Order). https://www.gov.uk/guidance/guidance-for-operators-of-new-nuclear-power-stations
7. The Statement of Design Acceptability (SoDA) is being issued jointly by the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales. GDA applies to both England and Wales.
8. For more information, please contact the ONR press office on onr@onr.gov.uk or 020 3028 0505.
9. For the Environment Agency media team contact newsdesk@environment-agency.gov.uk or 020 3025 5623

Five boaters who did not register their vessels have been landed with penalties totalling more than £5,000.

River inspectors found the boats moored on the Great Ouse, Little Ouse, Old West and Nene – all part of the Anglian Waterways network managed by the Environment Agency.

It is a legal requirement for boaters to register any vessel they keep, use or let for hire on Environment Agency waterways, and to clearly display a valid registration plate. Vessel owners must also have the appropriate Boat Safety Scheme certificates and insurance, as part of the registration process.

Glen Wheatley of Farcet in Peterborough, Geoffrey Turner of Holbeach in Lincolnshire, Stuart Baker of Hockwold in Norfolk, Phillip Sunman of Eynesbury in Cambridgeshire, and Anthony Hague of Soham in Cambridgeshire all failed to register their vessels, as required by law.

Their cases were heard at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 8 March, and resulted in fines and costs totalling £5,166.10. Mr Wheatley was ordered to pay a total of £827.99, Mr Turner £856.98, Mr Baker £898.71, Mr Sunman £1,208.71, and Mr Hague £1,371.71.

Nathan Arnold, partnerships and development team leader at the Environment Agency, said:

Our historic and precious waterways are an important part of our nation’s heritage and are enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people every year,” says Nathan Arnold, Partnerships and Development team leader at the Environment Agency.

A significant part of caring for them, protecting them, and ensuring people continue to enjoy them is funded by boaters paying their way. Those who don’t contribute as they should are threatening the future of our waterways – and we won’t hesitate to take action against them.

As well as not contributing to the upkeep of waterways, unregistered boats can be unsafe, hazardous to other river users, and a pollution risk to the local environment and wildlife.

The Environment Agency looks after 353 miles of navigable waterways in the Anglian network, which includes the Ancholme, Black Sluice, Glen, Welland, Nene, Great Ouse and Stour, as well as associated locks and navigation facilities like moorings, showers and toilets.

More information about boating and waterways, including registering vessels, is available at http://www.gov.uk/ea. If you suspect a boat is illegal, please contact the Environment Agency on 03708 506 506 or by emailing our Waterways team.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

• Glen Wheatley of Peterborough Road, Farcet, Peterborough, pleaded guilty by post and was given a fine of £103, and ordered to pay costs of £250, compensation of £444.99 and a victim surcharge of £30. The total penalty was £827.99. His vessel is Lady Angela.
• Geoffrey Turner of Fleet Road, Holbeach, Lincolnshire, was found guilty in absence. He was fined £220, and ordered to pay costs of £250, £343.98 compensation, and a victim surcharge of £43. The total penalty was £856.98. His vessel is Bianco.
• Stuart Baker of Pearces Close, Hockwold, Norfolk, pleaded guilty in court and was given a 12-month conditional discharge. He was also ordered to pay compensation of £878.71 and a £20 victim surcharge (£898.71 total). His vessel is unnamed.
• Philip Sunman of Washbank Road, Eynesbury, Cambridgeshire, pleaded guilty and was fined £200. He was also ordered to pay costs of £100, compensation of £878.71 and a £30 victim surcharge. The total penalty was £1,208.71. His vessel is unnamed.
• Anthony Hague of Bushell Lane, Soham, Cambridgeshire, was found guilty in absence and given a fine of £220. He was also ordered to pay £250 in costs, £873.71 compensation and a victim surcharge of £30. The total penalty was £1,373.71. His vessel is Quest II.
• Powered-vessel owners will require valid insurance to register their vessels and most will also require a Boat Safety Scheme Certificate.
• Registration must be renewed each year for the waterway on which a person is keeping or using their boat. People can also buy a visitor registration for shorter periods.