Press release: Suez to pay £505,000 for pollution at Cornwall’s largest landfill

The waste company, Suez Recycling and Recovery UK Limited, has been ordered to pay more than £500,000 in fines and costs for a series of offences at Connon Bridge landfill site near Liskeard.

In 2012 the Environment Agency became increasingly concerned at Suez’s management of leachate (contaminated water) at the site. Heavy rain caused leachate levels to rise rapidly beyond limits specified by the site’s environmental permit.

In January 2013, following reports from members of the public, Environment Agency officers visited the site and found two nearby watercourses, the Widowpath and Connon Streams, smothered in sewage fungus for a distance of approximately 4km. Sewage fungus is a sign of organic pollution.

Local residents started complaining of unpleasant odours caused by inadequately controlled emissions of landfill gas at Connon Bridge. It was apparent the site operator was struggling to regain control of the landfill.
Investigations by the Environment Agency found that there had been spillages of leachate onto uncontained areas of the site. Surface water had been contaminated by leachate, and leachate had compromised water quality in a groundwater drainage culvert beneath the site.

Suez resorted to unauthorised methods of disposal in an attempt to remove large volumes of contaminated surface water from the site, pumping it onto adjacent fields.

Image of water pouring from a pipe into a bed of reeds
Contaminated surface water was pumped onto nearby fields

The Environment Agency started monitoring the impact of the leachate spillages on the Widowpath and Connon Bridge Streams and concluded it was the worst outbreak of sewage fungus in the area for 20 years.

Investigators also became increasingly aware of the impact of odour pollution from the landfill site on the surrounding community. As the odour problem worsened, evidence was collected from people’s homes.

Simon Harry, of the Environment Agency, said:

People living close to Connon Bridge landfill will not have forgotten the appalling odours that emanated from this site in 2013. The negligent failings of the landfill operator resulted in pollution both by odour and to local watercourses. The judge in this case acknowledged, in particular, the distress caused to the local community by the odour.

Image of a large, brackish puddle that was the cause of strong smells
Officers found that uncapped areas of the landfill contributed to the release of foul odour

Mr Harry paid tribute to local residents for their ‘forbearance’ and said:

We take pollution incidents very seriously and this case should send a strong message to all industrial operators of the potential consequences of failing to take adequate steps to protect the environment.

At a sentencing hearing at Truro Crown Court on Friday, 3 February 2017, Suez Recycling and Recovery UK Limited was fined £180,000 and ordered to pay £325,000 costs after pleading guilty to 6 offences under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010 including failure to comply with leachate level limits specified by an environmental permit, allowing leachate to overflow from a leachate extraction point, unauthorised emissions of contaminated water, failure to comply with water quality emission limits, failing to notify the Environment Agency and causing odour pollution.

The sentencing hearing marked the end of a lengthy and complex investigation lasting 4 years. The costs awarded by the court reflected the work that went into investigating and prosecuting this complicated technical case.

Note

At the time of the offences, the defendant was known as SITA UK Limited. The company now trades as Suez Recycling and Recovery UK Limited.




Press release: Suez to pay £505,000 for pollution at Cornwall’s largest landfill

The waste company, Suez Recycling and Recovery UK Limited, has been ordered to pay more than £500,000 in fines and costs for a series of offences at Connon Bridge landfill site near Liskeard.

In 2012 the Environment Agency became increasingly concerned at Suez’s management of leachate (contaminated water) at the site. Heavy rain caused leachate levels to rise rapidly beyond limits specified by the site’s environmental permit.

In January 2013, following reports from members of the public, Environment Agency officers visited the site and found two nearby watercourses, the Widowpath and Connon Streams, smothered in sewage fungus for a distance of approximately 4km. Sewage fungus is a sign of organic pollution.

Local residents started complaining of unpleasant odours caused by inadequately controlled emissions of landfill gas at Connon Bridge. It was apparent the site operator was struggling to regain control of the landfill. Investigations by the Environment Agency found that there had been spillages of leachate onto uncontained areas of the site. Surface water had been contaminated by leachate, and leachate had compromised water quality in a groundwater drainage culvert beneath the site.

Suez resorted to unauthorised methods of disposal in an attempt to remove large volumes of contaminated surface water from the site, pumping it onto adjacent fields.

Contaminated surface water was pumped onto nearby fields

The Environment Agency started monitoring the impact of the leachate spillages on the Widowpath and Connon Bridge Streams and concluded it was the worst outbreak of sewage fungus in the area for 20 years.

Investigators also became increasingly aware of the impact of odour pollution from the landfill site on the surrounding community. As the odour problem worsened, evidence was collected from people’s homes.

Simon Harry, of the Environment Agency, said:

People living close to Connon Bridge landfill will not have forgotten the appalling odours that emanated from this site in 2013. The negligent failings of the landfill operator resulted in pollution both by odour and to local watercourses. The judge in this case acknowledged, in particular, the distress caused to the local community by the odour.

Officers found that uncapped areas of the landfill contributed to the release of foul odour

Mr Harry paid tribute to local residents for their ‘forbearance’ and said:

We take pollution incidents very seriously and this case should send a strong message to all industrial operators of the potential consequences of failing to take adequate steps to protect the environment.

At a sentencing hearing at Truro Crown Court on Friday, 3 February 2017, Suez Recycling and Recovery UK Limited was fined £180,000 and ordered to pay £325,000 costs after pleading guilty to 6 offences under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010 including failure to comply with leachate level limits specified by an environmental permit, allowing leachate to overflow from a leachate extraction point, unauthorised emissions of contaminated water, failure to comply with water quality emission limits, failing to notify the Environment Agency and causing odour pollution.

The sentencing hearing marked the end of a lengthy and complex investigation lasting 4 years. The costs awarded by the court reflected the work that went into investigating and prosecuting this complicated technical case.

Note

At the time of the offences, the defendant was known as SITA UK Limited. The company now trades as Suez Recycling and Recovery UK Limited.




News story: Women in innovation: female start-ups get inspired

Around 200 female entrepreneurs attended Innovate UK’s networking event on 8 February 2017. The event was designed to help the women – who all applied to our Women in Innovation competition – to turn their ideas into successful businesses.

Delegates were able to practice pitching their ideas, get advice from innovation experts and network with peers and business leaders. There was also a question and answer session with Innovate UK ambassador Claire Williams, the Deputy Team Principal of Williams F1.

Claire Williams, Deputy Team Principal of Williams F1, answers questions from delegates.

Dr Ruth McKernan, Chief Executive of Innovate UK said:

We want to inspire the next generation of UK entrepreneurs. Every growing business benefits from a mentor to show them the way. It’s especially important that we do this for people from a diverse range of backgrounds who haven’t traditionally participated in Innovate UK competitions but who would greatly benefit from our support.

Events like this help give aspiring innovators the tools they need to succeed, whether they’re looking for funding to carry out a feasibility study or want the support of an established partner to take their solution to market.

This was the first women-only Innovate UK competition and is part of our new infocus initiative to encourage diversity in innovation. It followed research that just 1 in 7 Innovate UK funding applications came from women.

The wider economic impact of addressing the gender imbalance is significant. Research suggests that if participation is increased to the same levels as men, women-led SMEs could potentially contribute an incremental £180 billion gross value added (GVA) to the UK by 2025.

Female entrepreneurs listen to inspiring speeches.

We continue to work with the 15 competition winners, who each received £50,000 as well as a package of tailored support and business mentoring.




News story: Charlotte Hogg appointed new Deputy Governor, Markets and Banking

HM Treasury has today (9 February 2017) announced that Her Majesty the Queen has agreed, on the recommendation of the Chancellor and Prime Minister, to appoint Charlotte Hogg as Deputy Governor for Markets and Banking at the Bank of England.

The appointment is effective from 1 March and for a renewable term of five years.

Charlotte Hogg will succeed Minouche Shafik, who will leave at the end of February. In addition to taking on the role of Deputy Governor, Charlotte will continue in her current role as Chief Operating Officer.

As the Bank’s Deputy Governor for Markets and Banking, Charlotte will have specific responsibility for managing the balance sheet of the Bank. She will look after the execution of financial stability and monetary policy decisions via balance sheet operations, the management of the Government’s foreign exchange reserves, gold custody services, the operation of the real time settlement system, the effective risk management of these operations and the gathering of market intelligence relevant to policy decisions. Charlotte will also be a member of the Monetary Policy Committee, the Financial Policy Committee, the Prudential Regulation Committee and the Court of the Bank of England.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, said:

I’m delighted to appoint Charlotte Hogg as the next Deputy Governor for Markets and Banking. I’m confident that her exceptional leadership skills and wide-ranging experience make her the right person to take on the position.

Charlotte has done an excellent job as the Bank’s first Chief Operating Officer. She will take over this new role at a key time for the City.

I would like to thank Minouche Shafik for all her valuable work at the Bank, particularly on fair and effective markets. I wish her the best as she moves into her new role as Director of the London School of Economics.”

Charlotte Hogg said:

I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the Bank’s mission in this broader role, and I am committed to doing so to the best of my ability. I feel privileged to be able to build off the great work Minouche has done, and to work with such talented colleagues.

The Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, said:

I am delighted that Charlotte has agreed to become Deputy Governor for Markets and Banking and the Bank’s Chief Operating Officer. Many of the top priorities in Markets and Banking currently coincide with those of the Bank’s central operational areas, meaning Charlotte is the ideal person to lead these efforts. Charlotte’s breadth of financial sector and operational experience will contribute valuable, broader perspectives to the Bank’s policy committees. I look forward to working with her in her new role.

The Bank of England has also today announced that Kristin Forbes will be stepping down at the end of her three year term as an external member of the Monetary Policy Committee. The Treasury will begin the process of recruiting her replacement shortly.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, said:

I would like to thank Kristin Forbes, who the Bank announced today will be stepping down from the Monetary Policy Committee at the end of June, for the significant contribution she has made to the Committee’s work during her membership. I wish her success for her future plans.




China to improve drug policy for better medical services

The Chinese government has decided to improve policy on the production, distribution and use of drugs.

A document released by the General Office of the State Council proposed systemic reform to improve the quality and therapeutic effect of drugs, and to ensure that supplies are timely and prices reasonable.

Improving the quality and therapeutic effect of drugs is the key task, according to the document, which called for stringent rules for the review and approval for new drugs.

The document said the review and approval of drugs in clinical demand should be streamlined, in addition to supporting generic drugs that had passed conformity assessments, as well as cracking down on offences in the producing and selling of counterfeit and low quality drugs.

The document suggested creating and expediting a network led by major and key enterprises, but supported by small and medium-sized enterprises.

In order to improve drug price transparency, a mechanism to ensure factory prices’ traceability was proposed.

Public hospitals should prioritize essential medicines, which must be available to the public at all times, in adequate amounts and at affordable prices.

It said the markup on drugs should be contained, and medical insurance’s role should be strengthened, with payment methods improved.

China plans to provide comprehensive medical care across the country through medical reform that will benefit both urban and rural residents.

The top legislature has been working with authorities on a law to help pharmacists properly prepare and allocate medicine, according to the country’s health authorities.

In December, the State Council approved two documents, one on improving health care and medical service and another on medical reform, for the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020).

More improvements will be made to the medicine supply system, and the supply of low-price medicine, children’s medicine, as well as urgent medicine will be ensured.