Politics

Colin Barnes had previously failed to clear the site ahead of the court hearing on Wednesday 25 January after his environmental permit was revoked.

Barnes, who traded as CT Barnes Autos, was taken to court by the Environment Agency after failed attempts to get him to comply with the law.

King’s Lynn magistrates deferred sentencing him and have given him six months to clear the site. He is due back in the court on 26 July.

The permit held by Barnes, aged 59, of Podmore Lane, Scarning was revoked by the Environment Agency after he continually failed to run the site in line with the conditions in his permit. Following the revocation Barnes was required to remove the large amounts of waste remaining on site.

Mrs Megan Selves, prosecuting, said the deadline for removing all the waste was extended three times to dates suggested by the defendant, as waste officers tried to support him to do the right thing. But despite removing some of the waste, most of it remained two years later.

She told the court that Barnes had an environment permit to store waste vehicles and parts but it was revoked on 15 September 2014. All the waste should have been removed by 3 November 2014.

Barnes failed to respond to advice given by Environment Agency officers and despite agreeing to deadlines for when he could remove the waste, he has failed to comply and the waste remains on site,

He has repeatedly flouted the law and undermined the legitimate waste management industry.

Magistrates heard that Barnes had operated the site since 1977 as a vehicle repair and service business until 2006 when he obtained a permit and began depolluting and dismantling vehicles which had come to the end of their lives.

Since the issuing of the permit there has been a history of non-compliance so the permit was revoked.

Barnes told investigating officers that since the revocation he had been removing some of the waste but had to rely on others as he did not have a waste carriers licence at the time and they sometimes took a long time to collect it as the value of the waste had decreased.

After the hearing Environment Agency officer Rob Brodie said:

Unregulated waste activities can impact both visual and amenity and can cause harm to the environment and human health.

These offences were committed over 21 months and despite advice and guidance from us and agreements to extend deadlines for the removal of waste, very little of it was removed.

Mrs Selves said Barnes had a history of non-compliance with warnings from the Environment Agency and has previous convictions for similar environmental offences.

Barnes pleaded guilty to: Between 4 November 2014 and 2 August 2016 on land at Willow Lodge, Podmore Lane, Scarning, Dereham, Norfolk NR19 2NS you did operate a regulated facility, namely a waste operation for the storage of waste motor vehicles and vehicle parts, without being authorised by an environmental permit granted under Regulation 13 of the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010.

Contrary to Regulation 12(1)(a) and 38(1)(a) Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010

read more

Tony Delahunty and Terence Jagger have been appointed to the Board of the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) by Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom.

Additionally, Board Member Nigel Reader has been reappointed and three other Board Member positions have been extended by one year.

The new appointments will run from 1 February 2017 until 31 January 2020. Nigel Reader will remain from 1 February 2017 to 31 January 2019. Board Members receive a remuneration of £11,804 for a minimum of 36 days per year.

The appointments have been made in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process.

In accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees’ political activity (if any declared) to be made public. Tony Delahunty and Terence Jagger have not declared any political activity.

The MMO was created under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 to deliver the Government’s policy objectives for clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse oceans and seas. In addition to managing fisheries around England, the MMO works to prevent illegal and unregulated fishing worldwide.

Tony Delahunty

Tony Delahunty is a fisherman and businessman with over 40 years’ experience of working in the inshore fishing industry. He has represented and championed fisheries management issues locally, nationally and internationally throughout his career driven by a lifelong commitment to the sustainable management of our seas.

He has experience in Board and Chair roles, in both the public and private sectors, including his appointment as National Chair of the National Federation of Fisherman; Chair of the Sussex Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authority and Vice Chair of Sussex Sea Fisheries Committee.

Tony has been a member of Selsey Lifeboat since 1978 serving as a crew member, senior helmsman and deputy coxswain and currently serves as deputy launch authority.

Terence Jagger

Terence Jagger’s early career was in investor relations/financial communications and strategy development with a number of major international companies, including Shell, Burmah Oil and Unigate. After a Masters degree in Finance, he joined the Ministry of Defence as a civil servant; his roles included managing a PFI programme, leading the QinetiQ privatisation, Director Financial Management, Command Secretary to the RAF, and political advisor to the NATO commander in Afghanistan.

From 2011-2015, Terence was Chief Executive of Crown Agents, the international development company working in Africa and Asia, where he also was deputy Chairman of Crown Agents Bank and Crown Agents Investment Management.

He has previously served as a non-executive or trustee of the UK-Japan 21st Century Group, the Met Office, the Gloucestershire and the London Wildlife Trusts and the London Library. He is currently Chair of Bath Spa University, a director of the London Pension Funds Authority, a member of ACOBA, and a trustee of Tree Aid.

read more

On Thursday 26 January 2017, Stuart Curle, director of MJ Curle Ltd, Sunnymead Farm, Shifnal, Telford, pleaded guilty at Telford Magistrates’ Court to operating a regulated facility that was not authorised by an environmental permit, both on behalf of the company, MJ Curle Ltd and separately in his capacity as the director of the company.

The 45-year-old was fined £1,200 and ordered to pay in excess of £25,000 in compensation and costs to the Environment Agency, along with a £120 victim surcharge. Additionally, the company was fined £6,600. The court also ordered that the 1,700 tonnes of waste that remains on-site is to be removed within the next 6 months, by 25 July 2017.

Environment Agency officers visited the site on 13 January 2015 to carry out an inspection. They found a large number of skips containing a variety of waste, including cardboard and green waste. Other parts of the site were used for storing and sorting a variety of waste, some of which originated from demolished conservatories. There was also evidence of waste being burned on the site.

The activities undertaken on the site require an environmental permit. However, the defendant never applied for one. As a result the defendant avoided application and subsistence fees in excess if £14,000. Around 1,700 tonnes of waste were found on the land. To dispose of this legally it will cost MJ Curle Ltd approximately £130,000.

Under caution, Stuart Curle admitted to a range of waste being brought to the site as a result of a business relationship with a local company. He also accepted that MJ Curle Ltd had been collecting skips full of waste and once they were transported back to the site, the waste was sorted and stored. He accepted that the activity required an environmental permit, something which the Environment Agency had warned him about in 2008.

During the hearing at Telford Magistrates Court, the Bench found that the previous warnings given by the Environment Agency to the defendant regarding the illegal activities on the site, in 2008, were a seriously aggravating feature of the current offending. However in mitigation the defence raised the defendant’s serious ill health and the financial difficulties that have blighted the family as a result. The defendant also asked the court to take into account the defendant’s co-operation with the Environment Agency and his admissions in interview.

Speaking after the case, an Environment Agency officer in charge of the investigation said:

When we entered the site in 2015, there was clear evidence of a deliberate and unlawful waste processing and storage operation. Stuart Curle was previously spoken to by Environment Agency officers about the need to obtain an environmental permit to undertake this activity. Unfortunately he failed to heed that guidance. We are pleased with the outcome of this case and we will actively bring prosecutions where deliberate unlawful processing and storage is identified.

read more

read more

The following information summarises the work being carried out this coming week. It is correct as of the above date but could be subject to change due to weather conditions or unforeseen circumstances. All our improvement work is carried out with the aim of causing as little disruption as possible.

A12 and A120 Colchester: traffic light repairs

Highways England will be repairing the traffic lights at the junction of the A12 and A120 at Crown Interchange. This will be done using a westbound slip lane closure while we are working, between 8pm and 6am overnight on Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 February.

A428 Eltisley: street lighting and road markings

Highways England will be improving street lighting and road markings on the A428 through Eltisley. This will be done between Monday 30 January and Friday 31 March. During the works we will have traffic lights in place while we working. As part of this work, it will be necessary for road to be closed overnight on some dates. Where the A428 is closed westbound, drivers will be diverted to take the A1198 northbound at Caxton Gibbet roundabout, then at Godmanchester follow the A14 westbound to junction 21 at Brampton Hut, then take the A1 southbound and follow the A1 southbound to Wyboston junction roundabout, where the diversion ends. Drivers heading eastbound will follow this diversion in reverse.

Various roads: routine inspections and maintenance for street lighting

Highways England is carrying out a programme of routine inspections of electrical and structural equipment across the region, which is planned for completion in spring 2017. In addition there is a programme of maintenance which includes bulk lamp changes. Work will include inspecting equipment on the:

• A1 between Wittering and Stibbington with traffic management but no full closures
• A12 at Capel St Mary’s with traffic management but no full closures

Work will include maintenance and bulk lamp changes on the:

• A1 between Wittering and Stibbington with traffic management but no full closures
• A1 between Sandy and Biggleswade with traffic management but no full closures

Various roads: barrier repairs

Highways England will continue repairs to barriers throughout the week, using lane closures to keep road users at a safe distance from the work. The work will take place at various locations, between 8pm and 5am. This week we are repairing barriers on the M11 in both directions from Monday 30 to Friday 3 February overnight, using lane closures while we are working between junctions 6 (M25) and 9 (A11). We are also repairing barriers on the A120 in both directions, between junction 8 with the M11 and Braintree (Marks Farm).

Various roads: litter picking and sweeping

Highways England will continue litter picking throughout the week on the M11. This will be done using a mobile slow-moving hard shoulder or lane closure. Work will also include sweeping the hard shoulder of the M11 during the day while we litter pick between junctions 6 (M25) and 9 (A11).

M1: technology repairs

Highways England will be working to repair and replace faulty power cables for signage technology on the motorway, including overhead sign lighting, on the M1. This will be done using lane and hard shoulder closures while we are working, between 9pm and 5am, from Monday 30 January to Friday 10 March. As part of this work, it will be necessary for slip roads to be closed overnight on some dates. Where slip roads are closed, drivers will be diverted to continue on the M1 to the next junction, exit and return to leave the junction from the opposite direction.

M11 and A120: structures maintenance

Highways England are carrying out routine maintenance work on bridges crossing the M11 between junctions 6 (M25) and 9 (A11) in both directions. They will also be doing similar work on the A120, between junction 8 with the M11 and Braintree (Marks Farm). These will be done during the day, with the hard shoulder closed while we are working.

M11 and A120 Stansted Airport: pothole filling

Highways England will be filling in potholes on the M11 between junctions 8 (Stansted Airport – Bishop’s Stortford) and 9 (A11) in both directions, and on the A120 between Braintree and junction 8 of the M11. This will be done using lane and hard shoulder closures while we are working, between 8.30pm and 6am, from Monday 30 to Friday 3 February.

M11: routine maintenance

Highways England will be doing routine maintenance of structures and technology boxes along the M11 during the day. These will be done with a hard shoulder closure, taking place between junctions 6 (M25) and 9 (A11).

A5-M1 Link (Dunstable Northern Bypass), Bedfordshire: major improvements

Highways England is building a new 2.9-mile, two-lane dual carriageway running from north of Dunstable and joining the M1 at a new junction 11a, south of Chalton. Main construction started in March 2015. Work is progressing well. The traffic management, including hard shoulder closures, safety barriers, signs, CCTV and average speed cameras, will stay in place throughout the construction work, which will be carried out in phases and should be finished in spring 2017. Work on the M1. This week there will be M1 lane closures between junctions 10 and 13 from Monday 30 January to Friday 3 February between 10pm to 6am for overhead gantry works. Work on the A5 and local roads. This week there will be traffic lights overnight on the A5-A505 between 8pm and 6am for safety barrier installation and construction of a new footpath works. There will be off-peak temporary traffic lights on local roads and A5 between 9.30am and 3.30pm for verge and safety barrier work.

Cycle improvements schemes in Suffolk, Essex, Norfolk and Bedfordshire

Work is substantially completed on the building or improving of cycle paths at 16 locations across the East of England including on the A12, A120, A47 and A5.

The work included the installation of new and upgraded shared-use foot/cycle ways and toucan crossing facilities. The new or improved paths will make it safer and easier to cycle on or around major A-roads and will improve connections with the local and national cycle network.

The project is part of a country-wide initiative which will see Highways England deliver 200 projects over the next five years after the government set up a £100 million dedicated fund for cycling in its Road Investment Strategy.

Ongoing work for this week:

A12 Lowestoft – Station Road/Gunton St/Peters Avenue

There will be off peak three way lights upgrading the existing footpath works. The northbound bus stop opposite the works has temporarily been suspended, whilst the southbound bus stop has been relocated.

A12 Lowestoft: Bascule Bridge works

We will be carrying out routine maintenance works on the A12 Bascule Bridge at Lowestoft. This will be between Monday 30 January and Monday 20 February, from 8pm to 6am. During the work the A12 will be closed in both directions at the bridge and a diversion will be clearly signposted. Northbound traffic will travel north from the Bloodmore Lane roundabout on the A1117 (Bloodmoor Road, Elmtree Road, Cotmer Road), right at the T-junction between A1117 Cotmer Road and A146 Bridge Road onto the A146, left onto the A1117 (Bridge Road) and over the Oulton Broad Bridge, carry on the A1117 (Normanston Drive), turning left at the roundabout with the A1144 (Normanston Drive and Millenium Way) and right along A1117 Bentley Drive, to re-join A12 northbound (Yarmouth Road) by turning left at Tesco roundabout toward Great Yarmouth. Southbound traffic will follow the same route in reverse.

A free hourly bus service will be provided for pedestrians wanting to cross the bridge. This will leave from the north side of the bridge at quarter past the hour and from the south side at quarter to the hour.

A12/A47 renumbering

Highways England has started work to renumber part of the A12 to become the A47. This work is being carried out as part of the improvements to the A47/A12 corridor. We will be replacing road signs that currently show the A12 to now show the A47. The work will last approximately 12 weeks to complete. The section of the A12 that currently runs from Lowestoft to Great Yarmouth will become the A47.

There will be off peak lane closures and two/three way traffic lights during the day and night throughout Lowestoft on the A12 installing sign faces and patches.

A14 Bury St Edmunds: junction improvements

Improvement works are being carried out on the A14 junction 45 Rookery Crossroads/Rougham. Works include construction of new eastbound slip roads, which are being funded by Suffolk County Council as part of the Bury St Edmunds Eastern Relief Road scheme. There is a 24 hour 40mph speed limit in place through the works for safety reasons, works are currently taking place overnight using lane closures in both directions. The works are due to take five months to complete.

A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire: major improvements

Early preparatory construction work on the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon scheme has been underway for a number of months.

We are currently carrying out a variety of tasks which will require us to close lanes/carriageway on the A1, A14 and some of the side roads. The work we will be doing will include:

• creating strengthened crossing points for site vehicles on a number of the side roads; these are called plant crossings
• installing access points to our construction compounds
• taking core samples of the existing trunk roads to enable appropriate design and construction
• clearing the site of vegetation which is adjacent to the live carriageway
• installing CCTV and average speed cameras

Wherever possible, work will take place at night (usually between 8pm and 6am) to minimise disruption to traffic. During the week commencing Monday 30 January lane or carriageway closures are currently planned for the following locations to enable site clearance and installation of CCTV to take place.

All closures will be effective between 8pm and 6 am unless stated.

Full closures:

Monday 30 January:

• full closure of A428 eastbound from Caxton to Girton
• full closure of the A1 northbound between Brampton Hut and Alconbury
• A1 northbound Brampton Hut entry slip road closed
• A1 northbound Alconbury exit slip road closed

Tuesday 31 January:

• full closure of the A1 Northbound between Brampton Hut and Alconbury
• A1 northbound Brampton Hut entry slip road closed
• A1 northbound Alconbury exit slip road closed

Wednesday to February to Friday 3 February:

• full closure of the A1 southbound between Alconbury and Brampton Hut
• A1 Southbound Brampton Hut Exit slip road closed
• A1 Southbound Alconbury Entry slip road closed

Lane closures:

Monday 30 January to Tuesday 3 January:

• A1 northbound between Buckden and Brampton lane 2 closure

Wednesday 1 February to Friday 3 February:

• A1 southbound between junctions 15 and 14 closure of lanes 2,3 and 4

A14 Cambridgeshire: drainage repairs

Highways England is undertaking investigations and repairs to the drainage system of the A14 between junctions 32 (Girton – M11 interchange) and 35 (Stoke cum Quy). They will be working off the road during the day clearing vegetation and re-profiling drainage ditches. There will be lane closures and slip road closures between 8pm and 6am while we are working overnight, with all works on weekdays only.

This week we are working on the A14 in both directions with the inside lane closed between junctions 34 and 35.

A47 Dogsthorpe: junction improvements (Peterborough City Council)

Peterborough City Council is continuing its junction improvement work at the A47/A15 Dogsthorpe junction, Peterborough. The work will involve some overnight full closure and 24/7 lane closures on the A47. For more information, visit the Peterborough City Council website.

A120 and A12 Essex: essential maintenance work

We are completing essential maintenance work on the A120 and the A12 in Essex, which will be ongoing until May. This work will include resurfacing, safety barrier repairs, and bridge repairs, with work taking place between Braintree and Marks Tey, near Colchester, at Kelvedon, and at Wix. Unless detailed otherwise, work will be taking place between 8pm and 6am.

This week we are resurfacing the road and footpaths and replacing street lights, fencing and road signs on the A120 from Monday 30 to Friday 3 February, the A120 will be closed while we are working from the Marks Tey roundabout to the B1024 Coggeshall. Drivers heading westbound diverted to continue south on the A12 to junction 19, take the A130 northbound to Little Waltham, the A131 northbound through Great Notley, then re-join the A120 at Braintree. Drivers heading eastbound will follow this diversion in reverse. We expect this work to be completed by May.

Between Mark Tey to Marks Farm there will also be temporary traffic lights (one set in Coggeshall) to support the resurfacing works.

We are repairing drainage on the A120 Wix bypass, with work expected to be completed by late April. There will be traffic lights in place and a 40mph speed limit while we are working.

We are replacing the central reservation safety barrier on the A120 between junction 29 of the A12 (Crown Interchange) to Hare Green (between the B1029 and the A133). There will be narrow lanes westbound with a 50mph limit in place in both directions 24/7 throughout the works until mid-March. In addition there will be a lane 2 closure eastbound from Monday 30 to Friday 3 February overnight.

We are repairing bridge joints on the A12 Ewell Bridge near Kelvedon. We will complete this works over the weekends between Saturday 4 February and Monday 6 March. The closure will start on a Saturday evening to Monday morning. To keep road users at safe distance from works bridge will be closed to pedestrians and divers. Drivers will be diverted to take the A120 westbound to Braintree, then take the A131 southbound through Great Notley, then take the A130 southbound and then east around Chelmsford to re-join the A12. Pedestrians who cross over Ewell Bridge westbound from its connection with Windmill Hill will be diverted head south on Windmill Hill to its junction with Highfields Lane, then along Highfields Lane, heading towards Kelvedon, before crossing Maldon Road Bridge to the junction with Ewell Hall Chase, and finally join Ewell Hall Chase to meet with the public right of way in the vicinity of Ewell Hall Farm. Pedestrians wishing to cross eastbound, the diversion is the reverse of the above.

A120 Great Bromley: road surface repairs

Highways England will be repairing the road surface of the A120 near Great Bromley. Subject to weather conditions, we plan to complete this work between Tuesday 31 January and Friday 3 February working between 8pm and 6am on weeknights only.

To keep road users at a safe distance from the works, we will close the A120 westbound between the Harwich Road junction (shortly before the A133 Hare Green Interchange) and the A12/A120 Crown Interchange at Colchester. The westbound carriageway of the A133/A120 link road will also be closed during our works.

There will be a clearly signed diversion route in place while we are working, whereby drivers heading westbound will:

• exit at Horsley Cross Roundabout and take the B1035 south through Tendring
• take the B1033 west towards Weeley
• take the A133 west towards Colchester
• take the A1232 north towards Ipswich to re-join the A120 at the A12 Crown Interchange

Drivers who miss the Tendring diversion will be turned around at the A120/Little Bromley Road and A120/Harwich Road junctions to pick up the strategic diversion route at Horsley Cross roundabout.

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.

read more