Braintree roadside litter-picker unearths pieces of history
The council has asked him to join its litter-picking group, Green Heart Champions, on several occasions, but he said he refused to be "limited" by their health and safety rules.As a result, the authority stopped providing him with plastic bags."I love what [Green Heart Champions] are doing, but the rubbish I see is on the sides of the roads and the embankments," Mr Thorogood told BBC Essex."They're dangerous areas, I know they are, but they're just not getting done."Among the rubbish he has made some interesting finds.A Save the Pound poster – from former Conservative leader William Hague's doomed general election campaign in 2001 – was unearthed next to Coggeshall Road, and a Meccano magazine from 1950 was found on the A120 bypass.He has also found a 1990s cassette tape and an old group photograph.Mr Thorogood used to collect rubbish several years ago and has been inspired to litter-pick again in the past year since the birth of his granddaughter."I don't want her growing up in a world with all this litter," he said.
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New Statesman
2 days ago
- New Statesman
'I blame Maggie!' How sewage radicalised England
Photo by Andy Soloman/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images In classic English style, it was raining on the first day of the hosepipe ban in the Wiltshire market town of Marlborough. But this isn't classic England any more. Residents are furious – and not just about the prospect of their yellowing lawns. Hosepipe bans used to cause a disgruntled ripple across the Tory shires. Today, they open the floodgates to a torrent of rage against environmental vandalism and corporate greed that makes the middle-aged of Middle England sound like radical socialists. 'It goes far deeper now,' said one lifelong local. 'The trust is broken.' Why, residents ask, should we save water when the water companies have been frittering our money away? With sewage in the local River Kennet, rising water bills (the same local produces a letter informing him his water bill is going up £19 a month), and flooding in the town centre earlier this year, Thames Water is a dirty word in this once clean and pleasant land. I'm told children in some local schools have even been asked to bring in a spare pair of shoes – one pair to walk through the sewage-splattered ground outside, and another for indoors. The golf club put their own water tank in two years ago, bypassing a reliance on Thames Water. 'There's definitely been a change in mood,' says Charlotte Hitchmough, 56, who has been campaigning against sewage overflows in the River Kennet for two decades. 'It's a critical part of living here – the river defines the landscape, and because the water's quite mobile it's really different month-to-month: people here talk about the river like they talk about the weather.' A new government plan to streamline and strengthen regulation of the water industry hasn't quelled the anger. Locals I hear from feel they've been lumped with Thames Water's debt and believe 'they're cruising around the world on superyachts'. The proposed changes also don't cover the consequences of road run-off into rivers, which is environmentally damaging and visibly so. 'You can see the river change colour,' says Hitchmough. 'That's probably going to get worse, not better – it's the next big, scary thing.' Having started her career as a consultant for the newly privatised water industry, she now – like some other fellow residents – sees greater state oversight as the answer. 'Profit shouldn't be part of it because, fundamentally, water is not a resource that belongs to anyone. Water is a source that none of us can live without. It was like privatising air.' It should no longer come as a surprise that even in Marlborough – whose constituencies have never been anything but Conservative for a century – you hear support for renationalisation and the conclusion, as worded by one local: 'I blame Maggie!' This year, the Lib Dems and independent councillors took control of Wiltshire Council from the Conservatives. From seats in the south-west to the Blue Wall (where affluent commuter-belt and suburban seats are turning away from the Conservatives), voters are deeply concerned about the sewage spills, suggest new focus groups and polling released in May by More in Common, a research agency specialising in public attitudes towards politics and policy. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe Sixty-one per cent of those polled say reducing sewage pollution should be the government's highest priority or a high priority. They still just about blame the Tories: half of voters say the previous Conservative government did a bad job on tackling sewage pollution, and 43 per cent say the same of the current Labour administration. Pollution of rivers and seas was a particularly motivating issue for people who voted Lib Dem in 2024. Asked for the top reasons why they voted for the party last July, more than one third (34 per cent) chose at least one environmental reason – the most popular being the party's campaign against sewage pollution. Local Lib Dem leaflets accusing Tory MPs of voting to pump sewage into their constituency rivers still haunt the Conservative Party – blamed in part for electoral losses in their former heartlands in the south. But it's not just Lib Dem/Tory marginals. Even Nigel Farage's Reform UK has a policy to take half the industry back into public ownership. 'In focus groups from Worthing to Clacton to Ilford North, people were bringing up sewage last year in the run-up to the election and in some since,' revealed Luke Tryl of More in Common. 'You get this with every type of voter, because it's such a visible example of state failure – it is up there with failing to stop the boats, because people can't understand why government is allowing it to happen and isn't able to stop it. That's what makes it such a potent force.' For years, polling has indicated growing public appetite for state intervention and left-economic solutions – a trend exacerbated by the pandemic. Voters of every party support more regulation of water companies, for example, and a majority feels water should be publicly owned. While these sentiments may have benefited Labour in opposition, they aren't necessarily good news for the party in government as it pursues cautious, incremental fixes to broken bits of the state. Whether you were a Conservative voter fearing a Labour government, or a supporter who backed it, you see Labour as the party most likely to stick it to bonus-hungry executives and asset-stripping investors. Ministers' arguments about fiscal rectitude and balancing books fail to resonate because they 'go against the grain' of the party's traditional brand, according to one polling analyst. All the while, voters watch dirty rivers wriggling through their towns and grow impatient for change. If Labour's plan to regulate water better doesn't bring tangible results before the next election, the confused politics of England will – like its weather – become less and less predictable. Thames Water has been contacted for comment. [See also: Who is accountable in privatised Britain?] Related
BBC News
4 days ago
- BBC News
Guinness to speed up verification of record Rayleigh artichoke
Judges from Guinness World Records (GWR) have fast-tracked the process to get an artichoke measured after concerns the towering plant might not last the Garnett, 49, says his 3.22 metre-tall (10.56 ft) sensation has turned the heads of many who pass his home in Rayleigh, Essex, but he had initially joined a three-month queue for an official adjudicator editor-in-chief at GWR, Craig Glenday, pressed the button to "fast track" his application live on BBC Essex, reducing the waiting time to two weeks."He'll get an email now that will say 'here's what you need to provide to us'. He needs a qualified person to say that it's actually an artichoke," Mr Glenday said. Mr Glenday said he knew the vegetable-growing community well."I understand all the little tricks they can play and it's very competitive and people sabotaging their vegetables."It's a really interesting, slightly cut-throat world and so we have to be very careful." 'A thousand a week' He said the process was essential because of scandals like "Dug" in New Zealand, which was touted to be the world's largest potato, until DNA testing found it to be a gourd."There's a few scandals with that topic (like) people filling crevices with mud to make the plants heavier."He added that it was common for a claim like Mr Garnett's to get lost in the "huge tsunami" of applications every year."We get about a thousand a week coming through the system," he if verified, he said this particular plant was "definitely" a record, with the current record being 2.5 metres (8.2 ft). Artichokes are part of the thistle family, and according to the Royal Horticultural Society, can typically grow to between 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) to 2.5 metres (8.2 ft). Nathan Garnett said his neighbours were very impressed."A few people have seen me measuring it, they've raised eyebrows and you get the odd glance. The postman loves it, he's commented on it," he said."We also have had people who are less of a fan. We had a councillor last year who called it a monstrosity."He didn't know who he was talking to, he happened to be talking to my mother-in-law."(They) didn't win my vote in the election." Mr Garnett said he planted the artichoke in Billericay more than five years ago, but "it didn't do much"."Last year it took off and it got to maybe eight, nine feet and then this year's just gone another level."I've been looking into it a little bit it might be to do with the fact we've had two mild winters."I don't even water it... it's a self-sustaining artichoke, it needs very little TLC."I put a bit of horse manure on it, that's it."(Although) I've had to tie it up a little bit in the past, because it leans." Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Scottish Sun
6 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Thousands of homes at risk of mould & damp through ‘systematic failure' of government scheme – see if yours is affected
TENS of thousands of homes could be at risk of mould and damp thanks to dodgy insulation being installed through Government-backed schemes. Households were encouraged to install the measures through two Government schemes aimed at increasing energy efficiency. 1 A Government audit of the schemes found households could be at risk of mould and damp Credit: Getty But independent body Trustmark previously found "widespread cases of poor-quality solid wall insulation" installed in homes under the schemes. Now the Government has admitted there was a "systematic failure" that could put homes at risk of mould, damp and other serious issues. Miatta Fahnbulleh, the minister for energy consumers, said in a statement that early evidence suggests a "majority" of installations of solid wall insulation were not done "to the appropriate standard". An audit found examples of poor quality work, including inadequate ventilation or roof-line extensions. The audit is set to be completed later this summer with the results published in the autumn. The two schemes affected are the Energy Company Obligation 4 (ECO4) and the Great British Insulation Scheme. They were launched by the previous Conservative government in April 2022 and May 2023. The schemes let eligible households apply for free energy-efficiency upgrades, including solid wall insulation, through their energy supplier or local council. They were aimed at keeping homes warmer and lowering bills for households. Solid walls - meaning they have no gaps or cavities - are usually found in properties built before the 1920s. I'm a mum-of-12, I swear by £1.15 bathroom cleaner and £3.25 mould cleaner in our busy house They can be insulated by adding a layer of material to the inside or outside to trap heat. But the initial investigation by Trustmark found: Exposed insulation or poor ventilation that could lead to damp and mould A "very small number" of properties with serious health and safety concerns, such as incorrectly fitted wiring More minor issues, such as missing or incorrect paperwork. What if I'm affected? Not all homes that had this insulation fitted will be unsafe or at risk. If it's thought you've been affected then you'll be contacted automatically by energy regulator Ofgem. The Government previously said households can expect to receive a letter from Ofgem explaining how it will check if your home is impacted. If any issues are found, you will not have to pay to get it fixed - the company that originally installed it will be required to fix it for you. If the firm has gone out of business, you should be covered by a £20,000 guarantee. Ms Fahnbulleh said: "I know this news will be concerning for people who have had external or internal wall insulation fitted through either scheme we have inherited. "That is why we are taking action to put this right, forcing installers to fix any poor-quality installations as soon as possible and at their own expense. "Affected households should look out for a letter from Ofgem, which will set out steps to resolve any issues." How else can I insulate my home? There are plenty of other safe ways to help insulate your home. You could try adding a layer of mineral wool or sheep wool to your loft or in your roof. It costs around £900 to insulate a semi-detached home with 270mm of loft insulation, according to the Energy Saving Trust, but it could save you around £230 a year, meaning you would make the cost back in around three years. Avoid getting spray foam insulation installed, as this could actually damage your home and make it difficult to sell. You can also draught-proof your windows and doors yourself on the cheap to prevent heat escaping to save around £40 a year. A roll of draught insulation tape costs around £5, or you can get a professional in for around £250. Inefficient boilers can also cost you money on your energy bills.
