The director of a skip company has been ordered to pay £22,000 for operating an illegal waste site for over a year – despite repeated warnings from the Environment Agency.

Director Benjamin Lemmon, 37, was hit with the bill after pleading guilty to the charge in Norwich Magistrates’ Court on 29 September 2020.

His company Skippy Industries Ltd, based at Riverside Farm, Setchey, near Kings Lynn, stockpiled old refrigerators, soiled mattresses, rubble and other mixed waste outside in the open where it risked contaminating the nearby River Nar Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

The site was only permitted to store and treat waste indoors, within a certain area.

Only specific, low-risk activities were allowed outside, but officers from the Environment Agency who visited on 9 different occasions from May 2018 to April 2019 consistently found waste piling up on land used by the company.

The officers repeatedly gave advice and support, but the company failed to clear the waste despite being given multiple deadlines and extensions.

In interview, Mr Lemmon admitted he knew he should have sought an amended permit to allow him to lawfully extend the site, but said he couldn’t afford it. He claimed the company had been “a victim of its own success” and had “got too busy for the size of the building.”

The court heard Mr Lemmon’s ‘reckless’ actions had also undercut other legitimate businesses.

After the hearing, Senior Environment Officer Scott Cunnington of the Environment Agency said:

It’s our job to regulate waste activity to make sure it doesn’t put people or the environment at risk.

We always aim to work with and support business growth as long as it’s compliant with the rules.

We hope securing this criminal conviction of a waste operator serves as a wake-up call to other businesses and a reminder that they must stay within the conditions and boundaries outlined by their permits.

Barrister Mike McGee, defending, told the court that Mr Lemmon had little experience of the waste industry and had done his best to clear the non-compliant waste.

Mr Lemmon was fined £14,000 and ordered to pay £8,170 in costs and surcharges.

Anyone who suspects illegal waste activity should report it to the Environment Agency’s 24-hour hotline by calling 0800 80 70 60 or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

• Environment Agency to build new flood defences to protect homes and businesses in Tenbury Wells
• Consultation on the preferred scheme to get under way shortly
• Government funding is allowing the Environment Agency to progress the scheme

A much needed flood defence scheme for Tenbury Wells is finally about to get under way after the government announced funding for the scheme in July.

The Environment Agency will soon start consulting with locals about the scheme that will see a mix of new flood walls and embankments to help 120 residential and 145 commercial properties be more resilient to climate change.

Tenbury Wells lies within the flood plain of the River Teme and Kyre Brook. Tenbury has suffered from extensive flooding to large parts of the town on a number of occasions, most recently in November 2019 and in February 2020, when levels were just below those which occurred in 2007.

After the recent February floods, the Government committed an additional £4.9 million towards a scheme for Tenbury. This funding has allowed the Environment Agency to progress plans for the Tenbury Wells project.

Dave Edwards, Flood and Coastal Risk Management Team Leader, said:

We’re delighted we can provide a flood scheme for the residents and businesses of Tenbury Wells, especially after the devastating floods they have experienced over recent years. We looked at all possible options and are grateful for the government funding that finally allowed us to move forward.

As the Environment Agency had already completed initial assessments and drawn up plans for the project, public consultation can start straightaway.

The consultation will start later this month, although discussions are still ongoing about whether consultation events can be done safely due the current coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions.

At a minimum residents will be able to submit their comments and will receive information through newsletters and latest updates via @EnvAgencyMids.

The proposed Tenbury Wells flood defence scheme that we are consulting the public on, will involve the construction of embankments and flood walls,

Ground investigation and site survey work will take place from November 2020 and we aim to start construction by early 2022.

Even though initial work on the scheme is starting soon it is as important as ever that everyone knows if their property or business is currently at risk of flooding and it is a simple and quick process to find out.

To check if your property, business, or place of work is now within the new warning area, visit GOV.UK or call Floodline on 0345 988 1188. You can also email your local flood resilience team at floodresilience@environment-agency.gov.uk where someone will be happy to assist you.

More information can be found on GOV.UK or call our Floodline on 0345 988 11 88.

Are you a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina, between 18 and 29 years old, committed to improving yourself, and helping to build a better BiH?

If you answered yes, we have an opportunity for you!

The British Embassy Sarajevo is starting a new programme to engage with young people across BiH, as we want to hear your voices, to discuss the issues you deem important and to help you develop as leaders and role models.

The British Ambassador’s Youth Advisory Group is a group of 10 individuals that will work closely with the British Ambassador, and other Embassy staff, over a ten-month period (from October 2020 to July 2021). It will include monthly meetings, presentations and discussion groups. It will be held entirely online, on a voluntary basis, without any financial remuneration. After completion of the programme, members will receive a personal letter of recommendation signed by the Ambassador.

To become a member, the primary requirement is to have energy and ideas. You will also need to be available throughout the duration of the programme and have a level of English that will allow you to follow and contribute to discussions.

Would you like to join the British Ambassador’s Youth Advisory Group?

Then send your application to britishembassy@bih.net.ba by 11 October.

It should include following personal details: name, surname, date of birth, place of residence, and answers to these two questions (maximum 400 words per answer):

• how do you as an individual make an impact on your community, country or the world at large? List examples of your activities, initiatives, projects, organizations that you have been involved with. Additional links or online materials are most welcome
• name a single pressing issue, trend, question or a challenge that young people are facing in BiH and propose a potential solution for it

Selection of participants will be overseen by the British Ambassador, and will aim for broad diversity of location and background.

Senior policymakers from across all 10 ASEAN Member States – Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam – participated in the ASEAN COP26 Climate Dialogue on Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and Long-Term Strategies (LTS). The event marked an important milestone as the first joint event with ASEAN under a new ASEAN-UK Cooperation Framework on COP26.

The ASEAN Working Group on Climate Change’s national focal points, or their delegates from each ASEAN Member State, gave an update on their climate pledges under the Paris Agreement. They reflected on the impacts that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on NDC and LTS development. A major theme of the discussions was the importance of NDCs and their role in driving ambition, setting direction, and supporting domestic policy.

Climate change is a broad challenge, particularly given the wide variety of national circumstances across ASEAN. This diversity reaffirms the need for effective cross-government coordination, and ASEAN collaboration on common issues like carbon pricing, nature-based solutions, capacity building and the energy transition.

Day 1 (24 September): Developing and Enhancing NDCs in ASEAN countries to meet the Paris Agreement

The first day of the Climate Dialogue showcased the importance of capacity, transparency and legal frameworks in successfully implementing NDCs. The benefits and need for putting climate at the heart of COVID-19 economic recovery plans was a key element of the day’s presentations by the UK, IRENA, NDC Partnership and ADB. All presentations recognised need for international support to adapt to changing circumstances, including the economic challenges posed by COVID-19.

It was identified that, while political attention, finance and capacity have shifted from climate change to COVID-19, it is crucial that we use this challenging moment as an opportunity to shift to a green and resilient recovery, and that this can be done in part through more ambitious NDCs. It was also noted that carbon pricing, increased deployment of renewable energy and nature-based solutions play an important role in delivering ambitious NDCs across the ASEAN region.

Day 2 (25 September): Setting long term low emissions development strategies in support of the Paris Agreement goals

Day 2 of the Dialogue was jointly hosted by the UK and Singapore. The UK shared its experience as the first major economy to set a net zero target. Deputy COP26 Envoy Alison Campbell highlighted the benefits an LTS provides in sending strong market signals to industry and informing short-term economic decision-making. The UK also highlighted the 2050 Calculator, a programme supported by the UK which allows ASEAN governments to model future low carbon pathways.

Singapore’s Chief Negotiator for Climate Change, Joseph Teo, shared Singapore’s experience developing its Long-Term Low-Emissions Development Strategy (LEDS) – the first of its kind in ASEAN. Singapore emphasised importance of robust institutional arrangements and whole-of-government approach in galvanising a long-term climate vision. Engagement from industry and citizens have also been crucial in implementing Singapore’s LEDS. The UK and Singapore both emphasised that developing an LTS is not a burden, but an opportunity for new growth and job opportunities, sending a clear market signal businesses will respond to.

At the Dialogue, ASEAN representatives discussed the various challenges they face in adopting LTS, and the value of leveraging existing climate policies and tools for developing future LTS, while the UK, IRENA and 2050 Pathways Platform highlighted the global support on offer.

The discussions which took place over the course of the Dialogue demonstrated the importance of enabling a regional approach, and the role of ASEAN in enhancing collective ambition on climate. Forums such as this can enable valuable exchanges of knowledge and build towards strong co-operation and coordination across ASEAN Member States and their international partners.

The next five years are critical for enhanced climate action, and this is especially true in Southeast Asia, which will suffer some of the worst and most immediate impacts of climate change. We must work together to overcome this challenge. The UK’s COP26 Presidency stressed that international collaboration was needed to achieve greater climate ambition. We look forward to working closely with ASEAN and its Member States on future joint events on nature, adaptation resilience, energy and green finance, and to continue to collaborate on achieving an ambitious, shared outcome at COP26.