Government says water company investigations have increased
The announcement comes amid public anger over pollution in rivers and seas. The number of pollution incidents recorded by water companies in England is at a 10-year high, according to data released by campaigners last month.The increase in Environment Agency inspectors is partly due to a recruitment drive from the previous Conservative government. In February 2024 the Conservatives said they planned to quadruple water inspections and hire an additional 500 staff for inspections and enforcement.None of the 81 investigations have so far led to convictions, which often take years to work their way through the court systems. But the government said they could lead to water companies being fined hundreds of millions of pounds."This Labour Government is cleaning up the foul mess the Tories left behind with a record number of criminal investigations into law-breaking water companies - which could see bosses behind bars," said Environment Secretary Steve Reed.The Conservative Party defended its record in response, with a spokesman saying that while it was in government it had begun the process of reforming water and sewage systems and taken action to ban bonuses for bosses of water companies that committed criminal breaches."The Labour Government made big promises on water, and we will continue to hold them to account to ensure they continue the work of the previous Conservative Government to improve our water and sewage systems for billpayers," the spokesman said."It's good to see the Government finally taking water pollution seriously," said CEO of campaigners River Action, James Wallace.But he pointed out that water bosses could only serve jail time for obstructing investigations, not for pollution itself."Jail time for water bosses remains highly unlikely," he said. "The law only applies to cover-ups — and there's no need to hide what's already happening in plain sight, week in, week out."Southern Water was hit with a record £126m punishment in 2019 for spills of wastewater into the environment from its sewage plants and for deliberately misreporting its performance.Greenpeace UK head of politics Ami McCarthy said: "Water firms have got away with flouting rules and pumping sewage into our rivers for far too long, so it's good to see ministers finally throwing the book at these serial polluters."She also urged the government to ensure that consumers did not foot the bill of any fines issued to water companies."It is right that water companies are investigated and held to account when things go wrong," Water UK said in a statement. "Almost 99% of sewage and water treatment works meet their [pollution limit] permits and we are focused on getting to 100%."
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Daily Mail
4 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
My father was bludgeoned to death in bed in a random attack as I slept blissfully unaware just feet away - now I'm hoping to finally track down his killer
A woman whose father was brutally bludgeoned to death while he slept just feet away from his family has revealed her agony as she's still without answers 35 years on. As a little girl, Emma Childerley was terrified by the fitted wardrobes in her bedroom. But, while most children fear monsters lurking inside cupboards, she visualised a killer. Emma was too afraid even to flush the toilet at night - in case she alerted a murderer. Aged five, she was asleep in the next bedroom when her parents, Kevin and Denise, were brutally bludgeoned in their beds with what's believed to be an axe or a cleaver. Kevin, aged 30, died at the scene in Nottinghamshire in February 1990. And though Denise, then 32, miraculously survived, she was horrifically hurt and left with life-changing injuries - so much so that Emma didn't recognise her. The killer has never been caught and Emma, 40, is now appealing for someone to come forward with the information necessary to deliver the justice her family needs. In April, police officers arrested a 62-year-old woman on suspicion of perverting the course of justice, who has since been bailed pending further investigations. Mother-of-three Emma, based in Blackburn, Lancashire said: 'I was a "daddy's girl", we were so close, and his murder tore our family apart. 'We were robbed of a lifetime of memories, and instead I had a childhood filled with pain and fear. I missed him so much. 'Because Dad's killer was never caught, I became terrified that the murderer was hiding in my built in bedroom wardrobes, or in the garage outside. 'Mum was so badly injured that I didn't even recognise her when she came out of hospital. 'Those months afterwards were hard, and though we've moved on with our lives, the pain never goes away. I think of my Dad every day. 'I'd ask anyone with information to please speak out. I need justice and closure, for Dad and for me.' The attacks took place on what seemed to be a regular evening. Emma's parents had been out to a nearby social club and the babysitter slept over in her room. Her baby brother, just five months old, was in a cot in his parents' bedroom. She recalled: 'I was woken in the night by a police officer waking me and telling me to get dressed, and not to switch on the light or open the bedroom door until he told me to. I did as he said, without questioning. 'I was taken to a neighbour's overnight. The next morning, I went to a police station for my fingerprints and hair samples to be taken, and later I was placed in a foster home. A social worker told me Mum had broken both her legs and Dad was looking after her so I couldn't go back home. 'I was only five years old, and I accepted that. But I hated being in the foster home, I was away from my family, and I missed them so much.' It was several weeks before a social worker informed Emma that her father was dead and her mother was in hospital. Neighbours had alerted police on the night of the attack. Speaking about her reaction to the blow, she recalled: 'I locked myself in the bathroom and sobbed. I couldn't take it in.' Emma was then told her mother was out of hospital and coming to take her home. 'I was over the moon at first but the woman who arrived had a shaved head, an eye patch and scarring all across her face,' Emma explained. 'I screamed - I didn't recognise my own mother, she was so badly hurt. It wasn't until she spoke that I realised who she was.' The family moved house to try to escape the memories and rarely spoke of their trauma. Emma added: 'Nobody even told me dad had been murdered. But at school, the other kids would say: "We found your dad's head on the banking" and I would run up the banking, thinking it was true. 'I didn't want to ask Mum any details because I didn't want to upset her. I refused to go to Dad's funeral because I was in denial. 'I found a newspaper photo of a woman on life support, and I remember saying how poorly she looked. I didn't realise then it was a picture of my own mother. I was too young to be able to read the article.' The family moved home again, hoping for a fresh start. But aged 11, Emma came across newspaper cuttings which explained her father had been brutally murdered in a savage attack, with the motive unknown. Two men had been arrested at the time but the case against them was discontinued. Emma said: 'I was horrified, and frightened that the killer was still out there. I started to worry the killer was hiding in the built-in wardrobes around my bed. 'I convinced myself he was in the garage at the bottom of our garden. I wouldn't even flush the loo at night in case I alerted the murderer. 'I'd slept through the attack on my parents, and I was worried I might sleep through my own murder too. I became very anxious and defensive. 'If someone stared at Mum's injuries, I'd get annoyed and confront them, even though I was only a child. I had so much pent-up anger and grief.' Emma said she and her father Kevin were best friends and used to watch Top Of The Pops together and sing Madonna songs. She said Kevin, a miner, worked hard for the family and they'd play tricks on Denise to make her laugh. 'We were just a normal, happy family,' she reflected. 'Dad took me to school on his motorbike each morning. We both wore helmets, but he'd keep his on as he walked through the playground, so all my friends thought he was an astronaut, which I loved.' In 2022, Emma contacted the police and pleaded with them to review the case. Kevin's murder has now been reopened - and she's now appealing for information. She now runs KC funeral services in Darwen, Lancashire, named in memory of her father. She reflected: 'I always regretted not going to dad's funeral and I decided I wanted to give dignity to people in death. I named my firm after him because this is his legacy. He lives on through me, and my three children, who I know he'd be so proud of. 'It breaks my heart that they never met him. He'd have been a wonderful grandfather. The pain from the murder carries on, through the generations. I'd like people to think about that and, if they have information, please speak to the police. 'There will be no punishment for having waited so long, we will just be so grateful for any help you can give.' In an important recent development, Nottinghamshire police officers arrested a 62-year-old woman in April on suspicion of perverting the course of justice. She was interviewed by detectives and has since been bailed pending further investigations. Detective Chief Inspector Ruby Burrow, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: 'This was a savage attack which took the life of a much-loved father and left his wife with lifelong injuries. 'Throughout our investigations we have been determined to get justice for both victims in this case, as well as for their two children and the grandchildren who never got to meet their grandad. 'Kevin was a much-loved family man described as a 'joker' with a great sense of humour by those who knew him. 'The attack tore apart the family and robbed Kevin's children of a lifetime of memories. 'The case has never been closed, and a dedicated team of detectives has been reinvestigating what happened that night using the latest investigative tools and technology. 'Following recent developments we have visited the neighbourhood to engage with a number of people we believe could help with our inquiries. 'It was a very positive exercise and I'd like to thank people for their cooperation. 'The arrest is also an important development and we have shared the news with Denise and other family members. 'We know the answer to Kevin's murder lies within the community and we also believe allegiances and loyalties will have changed after the passing of more than three decades. 'I'd continue to encourage anyone with any information, no matter how small, to please continue to get in touch with our officers or anonymously through Crimestoppers.'
The Independent
5 minutes ago
- The Independent
Governor Bailey is wrong: We should embrace the digital pound
Is the digital pound dead in the water? More than 100 countries are looking at the creation of their very own digital currencies. China already has one. The EU is developing a digital euro at pace. But the Bank of England? It seems to be tacking the opposite way to the rest of the world. Andrew Bailey told MPs on the Treasury Committee that he would need 'a lot of convincing' to greenlight a launch, which the Bank has already said couldn't happen until sometime in the 'second half of the current decade' anyway. Is this an opportunity missed? Even a case where the governor's conservatism threatens to leave Britons in the digital dark ages? First off, I should explain what the digital pound actually is. Digi-pounds (that's not the official name; I'm not sure we have one yet) would be currency issued by the Bank that could be stored in a digital wallet provided by a company like, say, Apple. This would allow you to pay for things directly, without the need for the card you currently have to have set up to use Apple Pay. People could also pay you by the same means. PS, Apple CEO Tim Cook isn't paying either me or The Independent for the mention. I'm using Apple Pay as an example because it's a service I use. Bailey is distinctly unimpressed with the idea of this new form of money. His preferred option is to help the market improve digital payment tech, which he said could deliver 'huge benefits'. Fraud reduction, lower costs, faster payments to SMEs, which at this point are probably saying chance would be a fine thing. "That's a sensible place to do it because that's where most of our money is," the governor opined. But here's an idea: why not simply do both? Is that really so hard? Or is the Bank yet again in 'can't do' mode? It is true that there are legitimate concerns about digital currencies. Sceptics worry about vulnerability to hacking. Fears have also been expressed about their making it easier to launder money, even to facilitate terrorist financing. Criminals took up Bitcoin with alacrity. Lately, they have favoured so-called ' stablecoins ', the value of which are linked to an underlying commodity or an existing currency such as the dollar. On the flip side, some critics have voiced fears about digital currencies being used to facilitate government snooping. This has been a big concern with the Chinese version given the obsessive interest in what its citizens do, say and even think of that country's government. But every new technology comes with pluses and minuses. It would be better for Bailey to accept that and roll with the punches. Bitcoin and its ilk already have a legion of fans in this country. If people like the concept of central bank issued digital currencies, there would theoretically be nothing to stop them from using digital euros if and when they arrive. There are already outlets in London that accept the paper equivalent (and dollars and yen while we're at it). Here's a potential selling point for your business: 'We accept the digital euros!' Right now, the central bank looks flat-footed, a very obvious laggard, largely thanks to the conservatism of the governor. I suspect some of Bailey's caution can be tracked back to his time at the head of the Financial Conduct Authority, a fairly thankless, if well remunerated, task at the best of times. Its CEO tends to get the blame for everything and the credit for nothing. Launching a new form of money is bound to create challenges and it will once again be Bailey's head on the block if something goes wrong. There have lately have been suggestions that the Bank could cease or at least shelve the work it has been doing on a digital pound. That would be a mistake. Digital currencies are coming. The Bank should accept that and prepare for the future. The governor badly needs to pull his legs out of the mud in which they're stuck.
Telegraph
6 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Starmer must shut asylum hotels sooner, says Labour Red Wall chief
Sir Keir Starmer must act to shut asylum hotels sooner, the chairman of Labour's Red Wall group of MPs has said. There are around 32,000 asylum seekers in hotels and Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, has pledged to axe their use by the end of the current Parliament in 2029. But Jo White, the Labour MP for Bassetlaw, said the caucus she leads of around 40 MPs in the party's traditional heartlands wanted the hotels closed 'a lot, lot quicker than that'. It comes in the wake of 16 arrests for violence last week at the Bell Hotel in Epping after the alleged sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl by a 38-year-old migrant from Ethiopia. Ms White told The Telegraph: 'I've heard ministers saying they share the frustration on the number of small boats that continue to come across and I know they're listening because I constantly go on about it. 'There's a commitment to close down the hotels by the end of the parliamentary term. I think we all want it to be a lot, lot quicker than that.' She went on to urge Sir Keir to 'stop the incentives' that have seen a record 24,000 migrants cross the Channel so far this year, representing a rise of 50 per cent. Ms White welcomed plans by Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, to share the locations of asylum hotels with food delivery companies in a crackdown on illegal working. But she also urged Sir Keir and Ms Cooper to introduce identity cards to tackle the migrant crisis, an idea that has repeatedly been ruled out by Downing Street. Reflecting on anger among her own constituents in Nottinghamshire, Ms White added: 'There is a huge sense of unfairness because people work hard here in this country and commit to supporting the country and then there's the sense that what asylum hotels cost is a huge drag on what should be invested into our NHS, our schools and our infrastructure. 'So they have to close, we have to get those asylum hotels cleared out.' She went on to describe the scenes in Epping as 'really frightening and quite scary' and insisted that violent disorder was never the answer. 'Whilst you might be angry that these people are here, they are human beings, and violence against those people is not acceptable and cannot be tolerated,' she said. A second Labour MP suggested Ms Cooper's department had failed to grasp the scale of public frustration with the use of asylum hotels. A ring of steel was put up around a four-star hotel in London's Canary Wharf last week in an effort to deter protests ahead of the prospective arrival of Channel migrants. The MP said: 'Obviously we are closing hotels but if the Home Office can't understand why the public don't like migrants using four-star hotels in Canary Wharf, then there's a problem. 'I've been pushing for looking at former MoD sites for detention centres – and then you wouldn't need to use these flashy hotels.' The Telegraph revealed last week that plans to slash the number of asylum hotels could mean migrants being housed in empty homes and properties bought by councils. Anger over the scale of the current scheme comes after Sir Keir vowed to significantly reduce both legal and illegal migration. Nigel Farage's Reform UK currently has a comfortable lead in the polls having promised to introduce a 'one in, one out' immigration system and send small boats back to France. There is also a growing backlog of more than 40,000 failed asylum seekers who have appealed against their decisions, many of whom require housing. A government spokesman said: 'Since taking office, we have taken immediate action to fix the asylum system and have started closing down hotels and removing more than 35,000 people with no right to be here. 'While the public have a right to protest against the current situation, we will never tolerate unlawful or violent behaviour.'
