Another 17,000 fish have been reintroduced into Lincolnshire’s River Witham by Environment Agency teams as part of ongoing efforts to help the river recover from last year’s devastating pollution.

It brings the grand total of fish restocked into the river to 91,000 so far, plus around 1.5 million larvae.

The restocking will help restore the river to its natural, healthy state, after a serious pollution in March 2018, when ammonia badly affected the river and its ecosystems from Bardney to the Wash. More than 100,000 fish were killed in what’s thought to be the worst river pollution ever recorded in the county.

The last round of restocking took place in May, when 34,000 roach and bream were placed back into the river.

All the fish were bred at the Environment Agency’s national coarse fish farm in Calverton, Nottinghamshire, before being transported and released into the river by fisheries officers.

Darren Randall, fisheries officer at the Environment Agency, said:

Last year’s pollution had a devastating impact on the Witham and its wildlife, but we’re doing all we can to help return it to its former glory.

A river can take years or even decades to recover from such a serious pollution, but reintroducing these fish will help restore its complex ecosystems and natural balance. It’s just one way we’re working to protect and improve the environment, for people and nature.

Strong, healthy fish and larvae from Calverton play an important role in the work of the Environment Agency to restore sustainable fisheries – they replace stocks lost to pollution, improve stocks where natural reproduction is low, and help create fisheries in areas where there is a shortage of angling opportunities.

All the fish farm’s work is funded by income from fishing licence fees – you can find out more about fishing licences, including how to buy one, on GOV.UK.

Anyone who suspects a pollution incident is urged to report it to the Environment Agency’s incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.

A one-way system will be introduced on the main A43 and extra traffic officers will be patrolling the area over the three days of the Grand Prix to cope with the huge numbers heading to the Silverstone circuit.

The sold-out event is expected to attract around 90,000 vehicles to use public parking at the Northamptonshire circuit and a further 21,000 the park and ride facility. In addition, 16,000 coaches are expected to arrive on site over the three days (12-14 July).

Highways England’s emergency planning officer, Jamie Tomlin, said:

The British Grand Prix is the biggest date in the motor racing calendar so we have been working closely with Silverstone Race Circuit to try to ease traffic flow and get the tens of thousands of people to and from the event as smoothly and safely as possible.

One of the key elements of the traffic management is operating a one-way system on the A43 which makes optimum use of the carriageways during peak times.

We will have extra traffic officers and recovery resources on duty and patrolling the area to deal with any incidents as quickly as possible to keep the traffic moving.

We would urge anyone attending the Grand Prix to leave plenty of time for their journeys and to follow the signs from the M1, M40 and on their car parking pass, rather than relying on sat navs.

This year Highways England, which is responsible for running England’s motorways and major A roads, will also have a stand at the three-day event, taking important road safety messages to motorsport fans.

Alongside partners from the emergency services, Highways England staff will be giving road safety advice and promoting a new motorway safety campaign.

The campaign encourages drivers to remember the basics of motorway driving such as keeping to the left except when overtaking and to ‘follow the signs’ to keep everyone moving – that includes red X signs, which are used to close lanes, and variable speed limit signs, which help improve the flow of traffic and tackle stop-start conditions.

Richard Leonard, head of road safety at Highways England, said:

Highways England is committed to making our network safer for all road users and to keeping everyone moving – but we need motorists to play a part in that.

We are asking drivers to remember the basics such as keeping to the left, not getting too close to the vehicle in front, following the signs and knowing what to do if your vehicle breaks down on the motorway.

Anyone going along to Silverstone this weekend is invited to come along to our stand and find out more about Highways England and get some advice on safe motorway driving.

The gates open to the general public at 7.30am on Friday (free practise) and Saturday (qualifying day). Razorlight will be performing on Friday evening and the following night Craig David presents T5.

On Sunday, gates open at 6.30am for the general public with the main race due shortly after 2pm. Soul II Soul perform after the race with gates closing at 8pm.

On-site parking for the weekend is now sold out so visitors are urged not to head for the car parks unless they have pre-booked.

On Sunday, from 6am until around 1pm, the A43 northbound will be one way from the B4525 interchange to Silverstone. The A43 southbound will be closed to through traffic at Silverstone.

From 2.30pm to about 8pm, the A43 southbound will be one way from Silverstone to the B4525 interchange while the A43 northbound will be one way from Silverstone to Abthorpe roundabout.

For details of traffic management visit the Silverstone website.

More information about the event, parking and timings.

For the latest updates on traffic, Highways England provides live traffic information, or follow @HighwaysEMIDS on Twitter.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

Tighter measures on the import of oak trees to come into force in England to protect the country against oak processionary moth

Published 12 July 2019 From: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, Forestry Commission, Animal and Plant Health Agency, and Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Strengthened measures on the import of most species of oak into England are to be introduced to protect native trees from the threat of the tree pest Oak Processionary Moth (OPM).

The bolstered measures will only permit imports of certain oak trees, including:

• those from OPM free countries
• those from designated pest free areas including Protected Zones (PZ) – an area of the European Union declared free of OPM
• those that have been grown under complete physical protection for their lifetime.

This Statutory Instrument (SI) – which is due to be introduced in Parliament shortly– builds on measures introduced in August 2018 and applies to all oak trees, except cork oak, over a certain size. This is because these trees represent the greatest likelihood of introducing OPM into the UK PZ, as they are more susceptible to pest populations and more difficult to inspect.

The restrictions will cover both imports from overseas and the movement of trees from areas of the country where OPM is already present – in London and surrounding counties.

Biosecurity Minister Lord Gardiner said:

Biosecurity is absolutely key to everything we do and we must to do more to stop pests and diseases crossing continents and borders. That is why as a country we have more protected zones than anywhere else in the EU.

It is essential that we further strengthen our import controls on oak trees. These new measures will ensure robust protections for our oak trees from pests such as the Oak Processionary Moth.

OPM caterpillars feed on oak leaves and can increase trees’ vulnerability to attack by other pests and diseases making them less able to withstand adverse weather conditions, such as drought and floods.

Nicola Spence, Defra Chief Plant Health Officer said:

Since 2012 we have invested more than £37 million in tree health research, including a dedicated programme of research and development on oak.

We will continue to work with local authorities and land managers to tackle OPM in areas where it is present with a control programme of treatment and surveillance. These strengthened measures will help protect against further arrivals of the pest on our shores.

The Plant Health Service has received reports of an exceptional expansion of the OPM population in parts of Europe due to the hot weather experienced last year.

Woodland managers, land owners, the forest industry and tree nurseries are being urged to remain vigilant after the Plant Health Service intercepted findings of Oak Processionary Moth (OPM) caterpillars on trees recently imported from the Netherlands, and are being asked to urgently check recently planted large oak trees.

Dr Anna Brown, Head of Tree Health & Contingency Planning, Forestry Commission, said:

Those of us involved in importing or trading plants must maintain our vigilance against exotic pests and diseases such as OPM. There is a lot we can do such as buying British, only buying stock from reputable, responsible suppliers and inspecting imported plants.

These stronger requirements will increase our protection but my message remains the same: inspect, inspect and inspect again. We can’t check imported plants too often for signs of trouble. Don’t presume that because your supplier found no evidence of a pest or disease that you won’t either. You might spot something that they have missed.

If you suspect OPM, you should not attempt to destroy or move infected material yourself as the nests and caterpillars can pose some risks to human health.

Visit the Forest Research website for more information on how to identify OPM. To report sightings of pests and diseases, use the TreeAlert online portal.

The Forestry Commission, councils and land managers tackle the pest which affects Greater London and several surrounding counties with an annual control programme of treatment.

At the Pearson Teaching Awards, Damian Hinds thanks teachers for their selfless work inspiring young people

Published 12 July 2019 From: Department for Education

Teachers have been hailed for the life-changing contribution they make to young people’s lives in a speech by Education Secretary Damian Hinds.

At the Pearson National Teaching Awards Reception at the House of Commons, the Education Secretary met short-listed teachers and praised them, and all 450,000 teachers across England, for their selfless and dedicated work in inspiring young people.

Those attending the reception had been shortlisted for one of the categories of the Teaching Awards, in recognition of their outstanding commitment to inspiring young people through their role in the classroom.

Speaking at the reception, the Education Secretary Damian Hinds said:

To be shortlisted from thousands of applications across the UK is an extraordinary achievement and a testament to your commitment to the profession. In my time as Education Secretary I’ve visited over 100 schools and getting out and about and into classrooms is one of the best bits of my job because I get a chance to see the fantastic teaching and learning that is your every day.

I am sure you all know better than me, how rewarding a career in teaching can be, but I’m also acutely aware, that at times it can be a challenging one. Over the summer holidays I hope you will take some time to reflect on your fantastic achievements and special moments from the last academic year.

The DfE sponsored two of the thirteen categories in this year’s National Teaching Awards; Outstanding New Teacher and Lifetime Achievement.

The four headteachers nominated for the Lifetime Achievement award, in recognition of their immense contribution to education and to the many thousands of young lives they have changed for the better, are listed below:

• David Blow, The Ashcombe School, Surrey;
• Frank McCarron, Stockport Academy, Cheshire;
• Keith Berry, Park Community Academy, Lancashire; and
• Teresa Roche, Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School, Derbyshire.

The five teachers nominated for the Outstanding New Teacher prize, recognising the inspiration to all new teachers dedicating their careers to shaping young minds and inspiring them to succeed, are listed below:

• Sharmin Rahman, Crowmarsh Gifford Church of England Primary School, Oxfordshire;
• India Brown, Fulham Cross Girls’ School and Language College, London;
• Natalie Wilsher, The Gryphon School, Dorset;
• Francesca Buckland, World’s End Junior School, Birmingham; and
• Connor Goulding, Sacred Heart R.C. Primary School, Bolton.

Man receives 12 months Community Order

Published 12 July 2019 From: Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner

A Reading man has received a community order after being found guilty of 12 counts of providing unregulated immigration advice and service.

Howard Ogbonmwan, 52, of Byfield Road, Reading, ran a company called Visionary Community Ambassadors from Arlington Business Park, Theale, where between 2013 and 2015, he gave immigration advice and services to six individuals when he was not qualified to do so.

Specifically, Mr Ogbonmwan had not passed the relevant training or have the relevant qualifications to give advice or provide services.

At Reading Crown Court, on 21 June 2019, Mr Ogbonmwan was sentenced to 12 months Community Order with a requirement to carry out 40 hours unpaid work.

His Honour Judge Dugdale said, “If someone provides immigration services, simply writing to the Home Office or an immigration tribunal on behalf of someone, or provides advice to someone, in the course of a business, they must be regulated.

“This is a very good thing because those people who come inside our community, who seek immigration advice, support, will all be very vulnerable.

“They need regulated, reliable advice. Putting it bluntly, you just can’t have people operating as a business, giving immigration advice, who don’t have the relevant qualifications. “

Speaking about the decision, Immigration Services Commissioner John Tuckett commented, “This is not a technical or victimless crime, Howard Ogbonmwan was advising vulnerable people who could not handle their immigration cases on their own.

“People trusted him and his organisation known as Visionary Community Ambassadors but he was unqualified to represent them. In reality he did not assist these persons but added to their immigration issues with poor advice, applications and appeals. I am delighted with the outcome in this case.”

Notes to editor

1. The OISC is an independent public body, established under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, to regulate the provision of immigration advice and services in the UK.

2. For further information contact Victoria Bovill-Lamb, Manager, Investigations and Intelligence Team, OISC, on 0207 211 1591.

3. For further media information contact Cornelius Alexander, Corporate Communications Officer, OISC, on 0207 211 1167.