Norwich Magistrates issued the Order (on 16 August 2022) prohibiting any person from accessing an area around 15 hectares off Clockcase Road, Clenchwarton, near King’s Lynn. It also prohibits the importation of waste onto the designated area.

Any breach will result in criminal sanctions. The Order will remain in force until 11.59pm on 15 February 2023, although this could be extended on further application.

The Restriction Order was issued following an application by the Environment Agency, under section 109D Environment Act 1995. When making the application, the Environment Agency considered the harm that the Clockcase Road waste activities could have on human health and the environment.

It follows the issuing of a Stop Notice by the Environment Agency to the owner of land at Kenfield Farm, Main Road, Clenchwarton in June (2022). They are also associated with the area of land at Clockcase Road. This required an immediate halt to the unauthorised deposit and burning of waste following a major fire at the Kenfield Farm site in May (2022).

Norfolk Fire and Rescue had raised concerns about the potential for more fires, given the prolonged dry weather.

Investigations into alleged waste activities at both sites are continuing.

Andrew Raine, Environment Manager at the Environment Agency, said:

The Environment Agency continues to target all unauthorised waste activity. Through this Restriction Order we are demonstrating we will continue to use the full range of powers available to us. To protect the environment and people and tackle those responsible.

If anyone witnesses waste being taken onto, or burning at this or any other site, please email EAN-Enforcement-West@environment-agency.gov.uk.

If you have any other information about the site that could help our enquiries or any other unauthorised waste sites or activities contact us. Our incident hotline number is 0800 80 70 60 or via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

The Environment Agency works closely with the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk and Norfolk Police on this unauthorised site.

Councillor Paul Kunes, Cabinet member for Environment and CO2 Reduction, said:

I welcome the use of enforcement action by the Environment Agency as this kind of behaviour shows contempt for the environment and local community.

This must not be tolerated, and we will do everything in our power to put a stop to unauthorised waste disposal when we become aware of it.

The borough council will continue to support the Environment Agency, who are the lead organisation, with this investigation and any future incidents. Joint action will be taken as and when needed.

The public can help us by reporting incidents and eliminate the illegal waste market by checking that they only hand their waste to those authorised to take it. Businesses and individuals should also make sure they are aware of their own waste responsibilities so that they are compliant with the law.

GAD provides actuarial advice on all the main UK public service pension schemes, which affects around 15 million people.

The development of our Analysis and Experience dashboard has provided us with a greater understanding of the underlying movements in pension scheme data. This helps us set and validate assumptions and improves the robustness of our work.

The development of these tools helps us support the ambition of the Government’s National Data Strategy and National AI Strategy which encourages departments to enable data-driven policy decisions and realise the potential of powerful AI techniques.

Analysis of Experience dashboard

The Analysis of Experience dashboard is an interactive tool. It allows the user to compare the actual experience of membership progression for a pension scheme against expectations.

As with any model, once the assumptions have been set and the results produced, exterior factors then change, and assumptions need updating.

The Analysis of Experience dashboard is an interactive, flexible, and accessible tool. It enables actuaries to visualise emerging experience from a range of perspectives.

Among its features are dropdown menus and range sliders. Buttons allow users flexibility to adjust the calculations and outputs on the dashboard using validated input values

It also

• loads the inputs (from external files) that are relevant to the selected scheme
• performs a standard set of calculations on the input data
• prints output tables and interactive charts to the dashboard itself and external files
• provides an audit trail of data and model versions used
• provides the ability to save the input combination used so that it can be reloaded with ease at a later date

When might dashboards be useful for you?

Interactive dashboards have enabled GAD users to comprehend the meaning of data and to identify trends quickly and effectively. Contact us if you are interested in developing dashboards to better understand data in your organisation.

Dashboard benefits

Among the benefits are interactive charts which can be used to explore the data further and gain greater insights and understanding of its features. Other benefits also include:

• greater interactivity of the tool (compared to previous Excel model) makes it easier for users to test out different proposed assumptions
• access to a wider range of in-built statistical tests and visualisations that Python and R has available
• performs calculations for the various experience items (such as pensioner mortality, withdrawal, age retirement etc) within a single model/code
• single centralised code file means that only one model needs to be updated if the calculation methodologies require updating (rather than needing to update separate Excel spreadsheets for each scheme as in previous valuations)
• better consistency in calculation processing and output formats across schemes (so easier and more efficient for the people involved – more robust against errors)
• greater level of automation leading to reduced risk of errors
• more intuitive experience for users
• users cannot accidentally alter the underlying calculation code while using the dashboard

Developing our data science capability

GAD has been improving its data science capabilities through recruitment and training. We have also used data science techniques to complement traditional actuarial approaches on many client projections, including this one.

As an example, we have developed our knowledge of the ‘Dash’ package in Python for creating the dashboard which enable us to:

• setup the entire dashboard using only Python code – other frameworks can require the use of other languages
• utilise the Plotly package which provides interactive features

Contact GAD if you’d like to discuss how you can utilise data science techniques in your work and help government achieve its strategic ambition in this area.

Government Chief Scientific Adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, today visited UKAEA and FLF joined by Bill Lee, Chief Scientific Adviser (Nuclear) at the Ministry of Defence.

UKAEA, based in the Culham Science Centre, is the UK government research organisation responsible for the development of fusion energy. It is a non-departmental public body of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

During his visit, Sir Patrick learned about transformative potential of fusion energy in the global fight against climate change. Specifically, he received a briefing on STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production), the first prototype fusion energy powerplant, He also received presentations from several innovative companies based at the Culham Science Centre including General Fusions, Reaction Engines and Oxbotica.

Following his visit to UKAEA, Sir Patrick met the team at FLF, which focuses on decarbonising the global energy system through an inertial confinement approach. Sir Patrick was given facility tours of the Big Friendly Gun (BFG), the highest energy projectile launcher in the UK, and Machine 3 (M3), the largest pulsed power facility in Europe.

Speaking about the visit, Sir Patrick said:

It was fantastic to visit UKAEA and FLF today and see first-hand the exciting potential of fusion technology and the rapid progress being made. Their collective, ongoing contribution to nuclear fusion research and demonstration is helping to solve one of the world’s greatest challenges in decarbonising our global energy systems, as well as advancing a range of critical science and technology areas.

Professor Ian Chapman, UKAEA Chief Executive, added:

We believe fusion energy can be an environmentally responsible part of the world’s future energy mix and it was fantastic to discuss the ground-breaking research and innovation being done here in the UK with Sir Patrick.

UKAEA continues to create jobs and drive economic growth in fusion-focused and adjacent fields, while helping to keep the country at the forefront of the international scientific community.

Two UK-based companies are designing missions to clear hazardous space junk alongside the launch of a new programme to back cutting-edge space technology, the UK Space Agency has announced.

ClearSpace and Astroscale have been awarded £4 million from the UK Space Agency to design missions to remove existing pieces of space debris, working with a consortium of industry partners. Once the designs are complete, the teams, along with other UK space companies, could receive further funding to see the UK’s first national space debris removal mission launch in 2026.

The projects will directly support the creation of 70 new jobs, with further opportunities to increase growth in the wider UK space sector, which already supports 47,000 jobs and generates an income of £16.5 billion each year.

The UK Space Agency has also announced a new Enabling Technology Programme (ETP), with up to £15 million to support innovative space research and develop emerging space technologies across the UK.

The first of six calls for funding from ETP opened today and will include technology for in-orbit servicing and manufacturing, which can extend the lifetime of satellites, building resilience and reducing space debris. Future calls will focus on emerging technologies to support the UK’s contribution to future space science missions.

Orbital congestion and space debris is one of the biggest challenges facing the global space sector and the UK Space Agency has committed £102 million, over the next three years, to deliver capabilities to track objects in space and reduce debris. The UK is also leading on global regulation and standard setting to make space activities more sustainable, in line with the government’s National Space Strategy.

There are estimated to be more than 130 million pieces of space debris orbiting Earth, from tiny flecks of paint from spacecraft, to old satellites, spent rocket bodies and even tools dropped by astronauts. This debris can stay in orbit for hundreds of years and present a real danger to satellites and the public services that they deliver, from communications and navigation to environmental monitoring.

Dr Paul Bate, Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency, said:

As our reliance on space technologies increases rapidly and the UK becomes a global hub of satellite design, manufacturing and launch, we are committed to leading efforts to make space more sustainable.

With 1,700 satellites launched last year alone, the need to safeguard the space environment for the benefit of everyone on Earth has never been more pressing.

By catalysing investment, backing innovative new technologies and supporting a national mission to remove space debris, we can keep space open for future generations and protect the important satellite services that modern life depends on.

ClearSpace UK, based in London, and Astroscale Ltd., based at the Harwell Space Cluster in Oxfordshire, were chosen after completing feasibility studies of the missions to remove derelict objects from space earlier this year.

ClearSpace has been awarded £2.25 million to conduct the next phase of a study into a mission which would remove derelict satellites from Low Earth orbit (LEO). This design phase will last until October 2023 and will finish with the preliminary design review — an evaluation of the progress on the design and the technical adequacy of the proposed mission. The Clearing the LEO Environment with Active Removal (CLEAR) mission, which will advance key technology building blocks, is a catalyst for the development of commercially viable disposal services and other in-orbit services.

Rory Holmes, ClearSpace UK Managing Director said:

ClearSpace is honoured that the UK Space Agency is continuing their support to the CLEAR Mission.

Space is getting more and more congested with defunct satellites, rocket bodies and other fragments – we have to act now to ensure this precious environment remains usable for future generations.

The CLEAR Mission is a vital step on the path to making the removal of space debris a reality, and will allow us to develop state-of-the-art space technologies, such as complex robotics and AI-based algorithms, within the UK. We cannot solve the challenge of space debris alone, and we are proud that 9 cutting-edge UK-based space companies – Alden Legal, AstroAgency, Critical Software, Deimos, MDA, Orbit Fab, Satellite Applications Catapult, University of Surrey – will work with us to address this issue.

Astroscale Ltd. has been awarded £1.7 million to design a satellite servicer that is capable of removing multiple retired or defunct satellites in a single mission. The Cleaning Outer Space Mission through Innovative Capture (COSMIC) will harness Astroscale’s rendezvous and Remote Proximity Operations (RPO), and debris capture capabilities.

Astroscale most recently proved their magnetic capture and RPO capability in-orbit during the End-of-Life Services by Astroscale-demonstration (ELSA-d) satellite mission launched in 2021.

The COSMIC servicer will be a technological progression of Astroscale’s Sunrise programme ELSA-M servicer – a commercial partnership between the UK Space Agency, the European Space Agency and OneWeb, the global satellite operator. The ELSA-M multi-client debris removal space servicer will be launched ahead of the UK’s Active Debris Removal mission in late 2024.

Nick Shave, Managing Director, Astroscale Ltd, said:

We rely on space in so many areas of our lives, yet without the rapid development of the in-orbit servicing market we cannot start removing the hazardous debris that threatens our societal dependence on satellites.

We are very pleased and honoured to have been selected by the UK Space Agency for this Active Debris Removal Mission Study award. Astroscale, working closely with expert UK partner companies, will design a national robotic capture capability that can safely remove two defunct UK-registered satellites in Low Earth Orbit. With our proven space mission heritage and strong industrial partnerships, we can deliver the UK government’s ambitious plans to develop a sustainable space economy for the benefit of future generations. Our goal is to make in-orbit debris removal and satellite servicing routine by 2030.

The government recently unveiled its Plan for Space Sustainability to tackle the growing volume of debris in space, which is both environmentally and commercially unsustainable. The plan includes action to clean up the Earth’s orbit as well as to ensure future projects minimise their footprint, for instance through in-orbit servicing and manufacturing to prolong a satellite’s life or recycle satellites in orbit, as well as retrieving satellites and mitigating debris.

The UK has previously provided funding for the implementation of the UN Office for Outer Space Activities (UNOOSA) guidelines for the long-term sustainability of outer space. To achieve a safe and sustainable space environment, the UK is playing a leading role alongside UNOOSA in the adoption of these guidelines, which set out how countries and companies can help preserve the outer space environment for future generations.

The UK is also the leading contributor to the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Space Safety programme, which provides collaboration and funding opportunities for UK scientists and industry.