Tag Archives: HM Government

Yorkshire Water has been fined £600,000 for polluting a Staithes watercourse with sewage that had leaked out from a poorly-maintained storage tank.

The company was sentenced on Thursday 13 July at Leeds Crown Court, after admitting one charge of causing a water discharge activity into Dales Beck, at Dalehouse, without an environmental permit.

The pollution originated from the firm’s Hinderwell Waste Water Treatment Works in July 2015. It had leaked from a poorly-maintained, rusting sludge storage tank, which had holes in it.

Richard Bradley, prosecuting for the Environment Agency, told the court that the sewage had a significant impact on the quality of the water in the beck. The watercourse, which passes through a caravan park, was discoloured and had a foul odour. Up to 100 dead fish were seen, and water quality tests revealed high levels of ammonia and low dissolved oxygen levels.

Downstream, the pollution incident affected water quality in Staithes Harbour, which was a designated bathing water at the time. An ‘abnormal situation’ was declared for 17 days during the peak holiday season and Scarborough Council erected signs advising the public not to enter the water.

Yorkshire Water initially blamed works at the nearby Potash Mine for the water discolouration, but four days after the spill they used dye testing to trace the source back to the treatment works.

Sewage sludge could clearly be seen in the yard near the tank, and from there it had entered Dales Beck via a small ditch below the Sewage Works. Yorkshire Water did not immediately clean up the yard because it believed the sludge was contained on the site and would be recirculated back into its treatment process. However, the firm’s own site user manual stated that the site drainage is not sealed. This was not picked up by the company and the sewage was in fact discharging into the watercourse.

The court heard that, as well as causing the pollution, Yorkshire Water also failed to act quickly in cleaning it up. In August, the Environment Agency asked the firm to provide a plan for how it was going to clean up the mess, but no reply was received. After further visits and correspondence, the company was still cleaning sewage sludge from the water on 19 October, some three months after the incident.

In sentencing, His Honour Judge Khokhar said the company had been reckless, rather than just negligent.

Claire Campbell, environmental planning specialist at the Environment Agency, said after the hearing:

This case demonstrates how important it is that water companies and wider industries maintain their equipment and facilities to a high standard in order to protect the environment. This pollution incident had a significant impact on the ecology of the watercourse, as well as an impact on the amenity of a caravan park and Staithes beach.

In mitigation, Yorkshire Water told the court that it had invested in measures to prevent the incident recurring. A gully guard had been installed to contain any future spillages within the site, and an alarm had been installed on the sludge tank. The tank has now been replaced.

The company was also ordered to pay £28,078.10 in legal costs.

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The new ‘Cyber Works’ centre, is designed to tackle the complex cyber threats the UK faces. It will create 90 high tech jobs in Gloucester and enable Lockheed Martin to work closely with its UK partners to share knowledge, research and deliver cutting edge capabilities.

Minister for Defence Procurement Harriett Baldwin said:

With our £1.9 billion National Cyber Security Strategy, Britain is a world leader in the field and the opening of today’s cutting-edge centre is a great example of how partnerships with industry are at the heart of that strategy. Together we are developing solutions to national security risks.

We are already leading in NATO with support to offensive and defensive operations in the fight against Daesh and complex cyber threats, and I’m also delighted that this centre will further boost the UK’s cyber capabilities.

The Government is investing £1.9 billion in cyber security as part of its five-year National Cyber Security Strategy to create a UK which is secure and resilient to cyber threats and prosperous and confident in the digital world.

A key part of that strategy is partnerships with industry, with £10 million being invested in a new Cyber Innovation Fund to give start-ups the boost and partners they need, while the £6.5 million CyberInvest Scheme is building a community of industry, government, and academics to support cutting-edge research and build UK security in cyber space.

The ‘Cyber Works’ centre will support Lockheed Martin’s contribution to CyberInvest, while the company has also signed up to the Government’s CyberFirst scheme which will boost UK skills by inspiring and supporting young people considering roles in cyber security and intelligence.

With National Offensive Cyber Planning allowing the UK to integrate cyber into all of its military operations, defence plays a key role in the UK’s cyber security strategy. Offensive cyber is being routinely used in the war against Daesh, not only in Iraq but also in the campaign to liberate Raqqa and other towns on the Euphrates.

In Defence, the £800 million Innovation Initiative has already boosted investment in UK research and business, with multi-million pound competitions to develop artificial intelligence and automated systems.

In January, the MOD will open a dedicated state-of-the-art Defence Cyber School at Shrivenham, bringing together all our military joint cyber training into one place. And the Defence Secretary recently announced a major reorganisation of the Army’s Royal Signals Corp and Intelligence Corp to equip them to fight the information battles of the 21st Century.

The MOD also has a key role to play in contributing to a culture of resilience. That’s why we set up the Defence Cyber Partnership Programme (DCPP) to ensure that its industrial partners protect themselves and meet robust cyber security standards.

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Ibrahim Elamin, 35, who carried out a series of rapes against university students on their way home, will now spend longer in prison following a referral from the Solicitor General under the unduly lenient sentencing scheme.

Elamin originally received a 7 year and 8 months’ prison sentence for rape and two other sexual offences when he appeared at Leicester Crown Court in May.

Over a period of six weeks in 2010, Elamin committed three similar offences against young males on a university campus. He lay in wait to attack students at Loughborough University who were on their way home from the Students’ Union. Two of the victims were alone, with another being lured away from his friends before being sexually assaulted.

Solicitor General, Robert Buckland QC MP, argued that the original sentence given to Elamin was unduly lenient. The Court of Appeal has today increased his sentence to 11 years and 3 months.

Speaking after the hearing, the Solicitor General said:

“These were premeditated attacks, preying on young men on their way home. Young people should be able to enjoy a night out and walk home without fear.

“I felt the original sentence did not accurately reflect the seriousness of this offending and I am pleased that the Court of Appeal agreed with me.”

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The Environment Agency reported 122 offences of fishing during the close season, following 670 patrols carried out in the restricted period. The targeted patrols also detected 179 other offences, mainly unlicensed fishing.

Environment Agency Fisheries Enforcement Officers were supported by 232 Angling Trust Voluntary Bailiff Service members, carrying out over 5,000 hours of patrols under Operation CLAMPDOWN. Now in its 5th year, Operation CLAMPDOWN is a joint initiative between the Environment Agency, Angling Trust’s Fisheries Enforcement Support Service, UK National Wildlife Crime Unit and police forces, aimed at gathering intelligence about illegal fishing and responding through targeted patrols. The volunteers reported 111 suspicious incidents to the Environment Agency and police.

The coarse fish close season restrictions are imposed in order to protect vulnerable spawning fish, helping to safeguard fish stocks for the future. Patrols took place across rivers, streams, drains and specific canals and stillwaters covered by the coarse fish close season byelaw, which runs from 15th March – 15th June inclusive.

Judy Proctor, Acting Deputy Director for Fisheries at the Environment Agency, said:

The vast majority of anglers fish legally; sadly there is a small number of anglers who cheat others by fishing during the close season. The coarse fishing close season helps protect vulnerable spawning fish – this is why it’s in place. It is still possible for anglers to fish during this time on many stillwaters and canals, which are open all year round.

We respond to the intelligence we receive about illegal fishing by ensuring our patrols are targeted at the right places – and the right people.

Dilip Sarkar MBE, Angling Trust National Enforcement Manager, said:

These figures show that during Operation CLAMPDOWN 5, Phase 1 Volunteer Bailiffs throughout England demonstrated their massive commitment to protecting fish and fisheries and cracking down on illegal fishing. All anglers can help this process, in fact – at any time of year – by reporting information and offences in progress to the Environment Agency on 0800 80 70 60, or the police on 101/999 as appropriate.

The enforcement work was supported through a network of 474 Angling Trust volunteer bailiffs covering all counties in England. Patrolling under operation CLAMPDOWN for a 5th year, they assisted by reporting illegal fishing incidents and information to the Environment Agency and police.

Anyone who suspects illegal fishing to be taking place should report the matter to the Environment Agency’s incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.

Notes to editors

• Enjoy fishing and make sure you fish legally
• Annual fishing licences from only £30
• It’s easy to buy online. Get a Fishing Licence
• All fishing licence income is used to fund work to protect, improve and develop fisheries, fish habitats and angling.
• Go fishing – Find out about angling events, fisheries and venues so you can go fishing
• The Environment Agency is cracking down on illegal fishing
• The reason why it is illegal to fish on rivers, streams and some specific canals and stillwaters. Due to many waters being under multiple ownership we apply legislation in a precautionary approach. This helps to protect vulnerable fish during spawning time. In addition fishery managers are free to impose close season rules at any time should they consider it necessary to protect their fish stock

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The UK will save the life of one woman every 90 minutes through its global leadership in supporting modern, voluntary family planning, International Development Secretary Priti Patel will announce today (Tuesday, 11 July) at a major international summit.

Today there are 214 million women around the world, who despite not wanting to get pregnant, aren’t using modern contraception. Progress has been made globally to reach more women with family planning services, but more needs to be done.

Voluntary family planning saves lives by enabling women to plan, and have fewer, pregnancies – reducing their risk of death through unsafe childbirth. This risk is very high in the world’s poorest countries, especially for adolescents.

At today’s Family Planning Summit, Ms Patel will set out an increased support package – boosting and extending the UK contribution until 2022 – to provide voluntary, modern family planning to women in the world’s poorest countries across Africa and Asia.

The UK’s total package of support until 2022 will every year:

• help save the lives of over 6,000 women by preventing maternal deaths – that’s one woman every 90 minutes;
• support 20 million women to receive voluntary contraceptives through family planning services;
• help avert 6 million unintended pregnancies; and
• help prevent the trauma of 75,000 stillbirths and nearly 44,000 new-born deaths.

The London Summit is co-hosted by Ms Patel, Melinda Gates (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) and Natalia Kanem (UN Population Fund – UNFPA), and will look at practical measures to reduce costs and increase availability for the millions of women who want contraception, but can’t afford it or get hold of it.

Africa’s population is rising to unsustainable levels, with Sub-Saharan Africa passing the one billion mark this year. Giving people access to voluntary family planning helps slow population growth and makes real economic sense. For every £1 spent, governments can save over £4 which can in turn be spent on improving health, housing, water sanitation and other public services.

In her key note speech, Ms Patel will highlight the UK’s global leadership in responding to the urgent need for voluntary family planning; the innovative technology being used to reach women in the poorest communities across Asia and Africa and call on others – including businesses – to do more.

International Development Secretary Priti Patel said:

“It’s truly astonishing that in today’s world there are still 214 million women around the world who do not want to get pregnant, but who are not currently using modern methods of family planning.

“Britain is leading the world on sexual and reproductive health, helping millions more women in the world’s poorest countries to access and use desperately-needed family planning services.

“This new UK aid support will provide 20 million women with voluntary contraception, change the lives of 6 million women by allowing them to avoid unintended pregnancies and prevent the trauma of 75,000 still births.

“But this isn’t a job for the UK alone and that’s why at this global Summit governments from around the world have come together to make commitments on family planning to address the long term need and unsustainable population growth.

“We are supporting the world’s poorest women to take control of their lives, so they can finish their education, get better jobs and in turn provide for their smaller, planned families rather than being trapped in a cycle of grinding poverty through unplanned pregnancies.”

The Summit will address several pressing issues, including:

• addressing the need in emergency situations. Family planning remains one of the biggest gaps in humanitarian response, leaving women at risk of maternal death or having to resort to unsafe abortions. The Summit will address this so that women experiencing humanitarian crises can obtain the contraceptives that they need to protect their health;
• blockages that mean that contraceptives that are supposed to be available simply don’t make it onto the shelves;
• making sure women have a choice in contraceptives, along with accurate information, so they can opt for the product that suits them best be it short term, long lasting or permanent. More choice will lead to more uptake; and
• the specific barrier faced by adolescents – both married and unmarried – including a critical lack of access to accurate information and the cultural barriers around adolescent sexual activity, which can further restrict contraceptive provision for this group.

In addition to saving lives by stopping women from dying in childbirth, investing in family planning provides long term life-changing benefits for women and their families, communities and countries.

It means women can make their own decisions about their own lives and futures, and helps stop the cycle of grinding poverty, improving lives now and in the future. This means local economies can grow, in turn boosting global prosperity, which is in everyone’s interests.

The UK put family planning on the international agenda with the inaugural 2012 Family Planning Summit where a goal was established to help 120 million additional women and girls use modern, voluntary family planning by 2020.

Britain is the second largest bilateral donor of family planning in the world. Since the 2012 Summit, the UK has helped nearly 8.5 million additional women to access modern methods of contraception.

Notes to editors:

• At the 2012 London Summit on Family Planning, the UK Government committed to spending £180 million per year on family planning until 2020. With this new commitment the UK Government’s support will be an average of £225 million per year until 2022, an additional £45 million a year‎ for 5 years. The £45 million is new funding for family planning.

• A full programme for the summit can be found here.

• For b-roll footage, photos and relevant documents visit the Summit’s Isebox

• Follow the conversation on social media with the hashtag #HerFuture

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The Department for International Development (DFID)

We lead the UK government’s work to end extreme poverty. Find out more at www.gov.uk/dfid

Contact our Press Office: 020 7023 0600 (Overseas +44 20 7023 0600) Get our latest press releases, free-to-use photos, embeddable videos and case studies online For breaking news, follow us on Twitter: @DFID_UK @DFID_Press

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