Politics

Anglian Water Services Ltd has agreed to pay £100,000 to a local community interest company following a pollution incident in Peterborough.

Anglian Water paid the sum to River Nene Regional Park, a local social enterprise. The payment follows a pollution incident at Anglian Water’s Flag Fen Water Recycling Centre (WRC).

In May 2013, storm tanks at Flag Fen WRC overflowed, discharging untreated sewage into the Counter Drain. Although the overflow occurred throughout May 2013, the environmental impact was localised and short-lived. It only affected the Counter Drain, and did not adversely affect the River Nene.

Because this was not a case of severe pollution, the Environment Agency decided to agree to a civil sanction called an Enforcement Undertaking (EU). Under the terms of this EU, Anglian Water offered to make a donation of £100,000 to the River Nene Regional Park. This donation will enable the River Nene Regional Park to employ a River Restoration Officer.

As part of the EU, Anglian Water has also agreed to take action to ensure that a similar incident does not recur. The company paid £13,486.43 in costs to the EA.

Along with prosecutions, the Environment Agency use enforcement notices, stop notices and civil sanctions to either improve performance or stop sites from operating. It is making better use of the wide range of measures that are available to bring sites back into compliance as quickly as possible.

The Environment Agency’s use of civil sanctions is in line with recent legislation extending their availability for more offences.

Civil sanctions such as these can be a proportionate and cost-effective way for businesses to make amends for less serious environmental offences.

Yvonne Daly, Environment Manager with the Environment Agency, said: “We work hard to protect people and the environment. In this case, we considered that the Enforcement Undertaking was an appropriate way to sanction the company while creating a benefit for the environment.

“Serious pollution can have devastating effects on rivers, fields and wildlife. In the most severe cases, we will still prosecute offenders.”

The Enforcement Undertaking requires Anglian Water to:

• Make a donation of £100,000 to the River Nene Regional Park Community Interest Company
• Make improvements to site operations
• Pay Environment Agency £13,486.43 in costs

Failure to comply with an EU may result in the offender being prosecuted for the original offence. Details of Enforcement Undertakings accepted by the Environment Agency can be found on our website here.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

• Anglian Water Services Ltd discharged sewage effluent into the Counter Drain from Flag Fen Water Recycling Centre, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire between 8 May and 1 June 2013. This is contrary to section 4(1) of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975.

• The EU was accepted on 12 July 2016.

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Anglian Water Services Ltd will be paying £100,000 to a local charity Rockingham Forest Trust to make amends for discharging crude sewage into the Willow Brook in Corby.

The company has also agreed to undertake site improvement works, and will pay the Environment Agency costs as part of a civil sanction called an Enforcement Undertaking (EU).

The pollution occurred on 21 June 2014, when crude sewage was released into the Willow Brook in Corby, Northamptonshire. This sewage resulted in pollution along 6 kilometres of the brook, leading to numerous reports of discoloured water as well as the death of up to 500 fish.

Upon inspection Environment Agency officers found that this pollution originated from Corby Water Recycling Works, which is owned by Anglian Water Services. Anglian Water had been aware of a serious problem at the Corby site since 3pm on 21 June, but failed to notify the Environment Agency until officers of the EA came to the water recycling centre in the evening.

Following the incident, Anglian Water agreed under the terms of an EU to make a financial contribution of £100,000 to Rockingham Forest Trust, a local environmental charity which manages areas including the water environment in the Nene Valley.

Anglian Water also made improvements to the site to prevent similar incidents recurring in the future, and paid £14,834.10 in costs to the EA.

Along with prosecutions, the Environment Agency uses enforcement notices, stop notices and civil sanctions to either improve performance or stop sites from operating. It is making better use of the wide range of measures that are available to bring sites back into compliance as quickly as possible.

The Environment Agency’s use of civil sanctions is in line with recent legislation extending their availability for more offences.

Civil sanctions such as these can be a proportionate and cost-effective way for businesses to make amends for less serious environmental offences.

Yvonne Daly, Environment Manager with the Environment Agency, said:

We will always take forward prosecutions in the most serious cases. However, we felt the Enforcement Undertaking was the most appropriate sanction in this case.

We felt it to be a more proportionate response that would benefit the environment – achieving more than if the company had been convicted and fined.

The Enforcement Undertaking requires Anglian Water to:

• Make a donation of £100,000 to the Rockingham Forest Trust
• Make improvements to site operations
• Pay Environment Agency £14,834.10 in costs

Failure to comply with an EU may result in the offender being prosecuted for the original offence. Details of Enforcement Undertakings accepted by the Environment Agency can be found on our website here.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

• On 21 June 2014, Anglian Water Services Ltd put sewage effluent into waters containing fish, namely the Willow Brook in Corby, Northamptonshire, to such an extent as to cause the said waters to be poisonous or injurious to fish or the spawning grounds, spawn or food of fish. This was contrary to Section 4(1) of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975.

• This Enforcement Undertaking was accepted on 29 November 2016.

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The importance of nuclear and the huge benefits to technical education and local jobs for the Bridgwater area were reaffirmed yesterday when Jesse Norman, the new Energy Minister, visited Hinkley Point and Cannington Court training centre, near Bridgwater, Somerset for the first time.

During the visit the Minister toured the Hinkley Point B power station and the construction site for Hinkley Point C.

He also met apprentices and EDF Energy employees at both the Cannington Court training centre, and the Construction Skills and Innovation Centre.

Energy Minister, Jesse Norman said:

The visit to Hinkley Point C construction project has been fascinating.

This project heralds a new era of nuclear power generation in the UK, and coming here has given me a chance to see low-carbon energy driving local and national economic growth, attracting new businesses and creating high-skilled, well-paid jobs.

These are all key goals of our new UK-wide Industrial Strategy.

Hinkley Point C nuclear power station will provide:

• 25,000 jobs and apprenticeships during construction
• An estimated 64% of the £18bn cost of construction to go to UK businesses
• 900 permanent jobs once running; and
• £40 million a year to the local economy

Humphrey Cadoux-Hudson, EDF Energy’s Nuclear New Build Managing Director, said:

The UK Government has placed its trust in us to deliver Hinkley Point C on time and on budget and this visit is an opportunity to show the Minister the significant progress we have made. We now have more than 1,000 workers on site, carrying out earthworks, building staff accommodation and constructing the jetty which will allow us to bring in many of our supplies by sea.

Hinkley Point C is already achieving some of the aims of the Government’s industrial strategy by creating thousands of jobs and opportunities in the South West and by helping to secure the long-term future of the UK nuclear industry.

The Government is committed to ensuring the country has a secure low carbon energy supply. Hinkley Point C will be a critical part of that, and will inaugurate a new era of UK nuclear power – building on Britain’s strong nuclear legacy.

Currently, the UK has eight nuclear power stations which generate around 20% of power in the UK. Almost all of these existing power stations are due to close by 2030. This underlines why the Government is taking decisions now on how we will ensure we have sufficient and diverse supply fit for future generations.

Hinkley Point C will provide seven per cent of Britain’s electricity needs for sixty years. The Industrial Strategy Green paper released last week included plans for a radical overhaul of technical education to address its historical undervaluation in the UK and provide a credible alternative to the academic route for young people who choose not to go to university.

The strategy sets out plans to enable everyone to develop the skills they need to do the high-paid, higher-skilled jobs of the future.

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