Latest news with #Environment Agency
The Independent
a day ago
- Business
- The Independent
East Midlands airport hit with huge fine for environmental pollution
East Midlands airport has been fined nearly £900,000 for environmental pollution. The Environment Agency successfully prosecuted the Leicestershire transport hub for allowing discharges of drainage water containing aircraft and runway de-icing fluid. The airport was fined £892,500 for three offences of breaching environmental permits at Derby Crown Court on Monday 28 July. They were also ordered to pay costs of £65,687.54. The airport's permit is dependent on them meeting quality limits when it comes to the discharge of surface water drainage. Failure to do so risks having 'a chronic impact on the watercourse and result in a deterioration in water quality ', said a government statement. An investigation by the Environment Agency found that the company significantly breached this limit on three separate occasions, which occurred between 14 January and 4 February 2022. The court was told that the airport has 'a poor history of permit compliance', with 13 separate permit breaches prior to this recent case, resulting in 10 written warnings. In defence, the airport, which changed management in 2022, said it had actively engaged with the Environment Agency to improve the situation. Ian Firkins, senior environment officer for the Environment Agency's East Midlands Area, said: 'We welcome this sentence which should act as a deterrent to other companies who flout environmental legislation. 'As a regulator, the Environment Agency will not hesitate to pursue companies that fail to meet its obligations to the environment.' In a statement, East Midlands airport, which is owned by Manchester Airports Group (MAG), which also owns London Stansted, apologised and outlined £11m of improvements it has completed after pleading guilty to the charges. 'I'm sorry that in 2022 there were issues with the operation of our water drainage system which led to breaches of our permit on three occasions,' said East Midlands Airport managing director, Steve Griffiths. 'Since this period we have been working with the Environment Agency and external industry experts to carry out remedial action. 'I'm satisfied that the issues that led to this prosecution have been fully addressed by these measures. We take our environmental responsibilities very seriously and will continue to look at ways to minimise our environmental impact.'
BBC News
4 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
River Frome could be drilled under for broadband link
A rural stretch of river could be drilled under to install a full fibre broadband service to the area Internet Ltd has submitted a planning application to drill horizontally under the River Frome near Dorchester, Dorset, in order to lay 32mm armoured fibre optic the area near Lewell is within an Site of Special Scientific Interest, drilling is only permitted 26ft (8m) from the river's edge and must be 7ft (2m) under the company has applied to the Environment Agency for a permit for the works. A public consultation on the planning application is open until 6 August. You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Telegraph
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Live Scrap Ofwat, major water review recommends
The water regulator should be abolished and replaced with a new single body covering England and Wales, a major review into the sector has urged. Sir Jon Cunliffe, who was tasked with leading the Independent Water Commission, has recommended 88 changes to the industry which he said was 'failing' customers. They included abolishing Ofwat, which oversees how much water companies in England and Wales can charge for services and the Drinking Water Inspectorate, which ensures that public water supplies are safe. The report, published on Monday morning, recommended far-reaching changes to the way the water system is regulated as it found the current landscape 'fragmented and overlapping'. It also advised removing the regulatory roles of the Environment Agency and Natural England, which monitor the sector's impact on nature, such as companies illegally dumping sewage into waterways. Sir John also said that previous governments were partly to blame, telling Times Radio 'it's the failure of government to balance out all the different pressures on water'. Steve Reed, the environment secretary, will give a speech this morning promising that 'the failures of the past can never happen again'.
BBC News
20-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Environment Secretary Steve Reed to face questions on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg
Update: Date: 08:59 BST Title: And we're off! Content: The guests have all arrived, Kuenssberg is in the studio, and the show is about to begin. We'll bring you the key lines and moments throughout the morning right here, and you can follow along and Watch Live at the top of this page. Update: Date: 08:54 BST Title: Who's on today's show? Content: As we approach 09:00, let's look at today's full guestlist. It's Environment Secretary Steve Reed in the hot seat. He's likely to face questions on water pollution, after the Environment Agency released data showing serious incidents had risen by 60% in the past year - find more details on that in our previous post. Shadow Housing Secretary Kevin Hollinrake, Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage will also be on the programme. As always, we'll also be hearing from the panel, which today features: Update: Date: 08:41 BST Title: 'Underinvestment and weak regulation' in England's waterways - environment secretary Content: Environment Secretary Steve Reed is likely to be grilled on the state of England's waterways after he pledged to halve the number of times sewage is discharged by water companies by 2030. It comes after data published by the Environment Agency showed 2,801 pollution incidents in England last year, the highest on record. Of these, 75 were considered to pose "serious or persistent" harm to fisheries, drinking water and human health. Reed said families had "watched their local rivers, coastlines and lakes suffer from record levels of pollution". Every year, the Environment Agency records the number of times pollution such as untreated sewage is released from water company sites such as treatment works into the country's waterways. Just three companies – Thames Water, Southern Water and Yorkshire Water – were responsible for the vast majority of the most serious examples in 2024. The data comes ahead of a landmark review of the water industry, due to be published tomorrow. Update: Date: 08:32 BST Title: The prime minister's authority is in question again Content: Laura KuenssbergPresenter, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg Who is in charge? You might think the answer should be obvious. "This government should be walking on water, there should be nothing it can't do," a Whitehall insider suggests, given the rows and rows and rows - and yes, rows - of Labour MPs who line up behind the prime minister every Wednesday. But, by booting out a small band of backbenchers this week, Sir Keir Starmer's put the question of his authority back on the table. Answering the question of who is in charge isn't so simple after all. This government has a "backbench they - and we - are surprised to discover they can't control," says one senior official. The financial markets are breathing down its neck, with the country's debts sky high, and for good measure, what a No 10 source describes as a "deep current of instability" around the world. Starmer's next one-to-one meeting with President Donald Trump is a case in point – who knows what he will or won't say alongside the prime minister on Scottish soil next week? No-one in government can be sure how that is going to shake down, although I was very definitively told we will not be seeing Starmer swinging a club with his transatlantic pal. It is, of course, impossible for any administration to be the master of all it surveys. But convincingly displaying authority, inhabiting its power, is a different task. And neither all of Starmer's MPs, nor all of the people inside the government are sure it's being met. Update: Date: 08:21 BST Title: Labour suspends Diane Abbott for second time in two years Content: Labour MP Diane Abbott, the longest-serving female MP in Parliament, has also been suspended from the party this week over comments she made about racism. Labour has launched an investigation into Abbott's defence of a 2023 letter to a newspaper, , externalin which she said people of colour experienced racism "all their lives", which was different from the "prejudice" experienced by Jewish people, Irish people and Travellers. She apologised for those remarks at the time following criticism from Jewish and Traveller groups and was readmitted to the party after a one-year suspension. Asked by the BBC's James Naughtie if she looked back on the whole incident with regret, she said: "No, not at all." In a brief statement issued to BBC Newsnight, Abbott said: "My comments in the interview with James Naughtie were factually correct, as any fair-minded person would accept." Update: Date: 08:12 BST Title: Why did Keir Starmer suspend four Labour MPs this week? Content: Earlier this week, Prime Minister Keir Starmer suspended four MPs from Labour over repeated breaches of party discipline. Neil Duncan-Jordan, Brian Leishman, Chris Hinchliff and Rachael Maskell have had the party whip removed, meaning they will sit as independents in the House of Commons. This comes after dozens of Labour MPs - including the now suspended MPs - rebelled against Downing Street's proposed cuts to welfare earlier in the year, forcing the government to pass a watered-down version of its plans this month. The MP for York Central, Maskell, was a key figure in organising the rebellion against the welfare bill - calling them "Dickensian cuts" - and said this was behind her suspension. She told the BBC she had a duty to speak up for those who elected her. "I don't see myself as a rebel," she said. "But I'm not afraid to speak up about whatever is in my constituents' interests." Update: Date: 08:05 BST Title: A busy week in Westminster: A brief overview of the main headlines Content: Update: Date: 08:00 BST Title: Environment secretary to be grilled in jam-packed last show Content: Welcome to our live coverage of this week's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg. It is a jam-packed programme - the last before the summer break - with Environment Secretary Steve Reed, shadow housing secretary Kevin Hollinrake, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey, and Reform UK's Nigel Farage on the show. It's been a busy week in politics so we can expect lively debate on some of these topics: You can watch the show here by clicking Watch Live at the top of the page from 09:00 BST. We'll also be bringing you text updates throughout the programme - so stick with us.
Daily Mail
18-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Ministers plan to axe toothless water regulator Ofwat as serious sewage leaks rise 60% in a year while bills for homeowners soar
Ministers are planning to axe the toothless water regulator Ofwat after a new report revealed the number of serious pollution incidents caused by water firms rose by 60 per cent in a year. The Environment Agency revealed there were 2,801 sewage leaks, up from 2,174 in 2023, with just three firms behind 81 per cent of the most serious - Thames, Southern and Yorkshire. The agency revealed consistently poor performance from all nine water and sewerage firms in the country despite its expectations for pollution incidents to decrease. Meanwhile, just two companies – Northumbrian Water and Wessex Water – had no serious incidents last year, meeting the Environment Agency's expectations to see a trend to zero serious pollution incidents by 2025. The data comes before the publication of a landmark review of the water industry on Monday, led by Sir John Cunliffe, who will outline his recommendations to the Government on tackling the sector's environmental and financial performance. It also follows a report released by the Public Accounts Committee earlier on Friday, in which the cross-bench group of MPs called the level of pollution 'woeful' and recommended an overhaul of the regulation system. Downing Street said the Government will wait for the final report when asked if there were plans to scrap Ofwat. A No 10 spokesman said: 'We are waiting for Sir Jon Cunliffe's final report next week – you can expect us to set out our response after that on what more we will do to turn the sector around.' Liberal Democrat environment spokesman Tim Farron said: 'if the Government do not commit to this, it would be a dereliction of their duty and a betrayal of millions of customers across the country. 'But the Government must not stop here, and we will continue to hold them accountable. Britain now needs a new, effective regulator, to stop the sewage scandal once and for all.' Environment Secretary Steve Reed called the figures 'disgraceful' and a 'stark reminder' of how underinvestment and weak regulation have led to sewage polluting England's waterways. 'In just one year, this new Government has banned unfair bonuses for polluting water bosses, brought in jail sentences for pollution, and secured £104 billion to upgrade crumbling sewage pipes – one of the biggest infrastructure investments in history,' he said. 'Next week the Independent Water Commission will recommend changes to strengthen the rules so we can clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good.' Every year the Environment Agency records the number of times pollution, including untreated sewage, is released into waterways from water company infrastructure such as pumping stations, pipes and treatment works. The figures, released on Friday, show companies recorded a total of 2,801 incidents, up from 2,174 in 2023. The regulator assesses these incidents into categories, with category 1 (major) and category 2 (significant) considered the most serious in terms of their impact on the environment, such as damage to ecosystems, the loss of wildlife and harm to human health. Last year, 75 category 1 and 2 incidents were recorded, up from 47 the previous year - Thames Water had 33, Southern Water 15 and Yorkshire Water 13. The Environment Agency said it is clear some companies are failing to meet the targets it has set on pollution. It attributed the rise in incidents last year to persistent underinvestment in new infrastructure, poor asset maintenance, and reduced resilience because of the impacts of climate change. But it is understood the agency is still investigating incidents and their causes more closely to understand the major increase from 2023, particularly at Thames, which saw serious incidents double from 14 to 33. An increasing trend in pollution spills from pipes carrying wastewater uphill emerged last year, accounting for 20 per cent of the serious incidents, the watchdog said, adding these affected some protected waters for wildlife and swimming. While water companies report many of the incidents to the Environment Agency themselves, the regulator also carried out more inspections of firms last financial year, reaching more than 4,000. This means it also discovered more non-compliance from firms, with 24 per cent of sites breaching their permits. Alan Lovell, chairman of the Environment Agency, said: 'This report demonstrates continued systemic failure by some companies to meet their environmental targets. 'The water industry must act urgently to prevent pollution from occurring and to respond rapidly when it does. 'We have made significant changes to tighten our regulation of the water industry and ensure companies are held to account. With a dedicated larger workforce and increased funding, our officers are uncovering and acting on failures to comply with environmental law.' Under the Water (Special Measures) Act introduced by the Government last year, the watchdog will have greater powers to take swift action against polluting companies. To boost funding for water regulation, the Environment Agency is also consulting on a new levy on the water sector to recover the cost of enforcement activities, while the Environment Department (Defra) last week confirmed a 64 per cent increase in its funding from 2023/24. A Water UK spokesperson said: 'While there have been some improvements, it is clear that the performance of some companies is not good enough. 'This is finally being put right, with a record £104 billion investment over the next five years to secure our water supplies, support economic growth and end sewage entering our rivers and seas. 'However, fundamental change to regulation is also needed. We hope that the recommendations of the Independent Water Commission next week will ensure the sector continues to get the investment it needs to drive down pollution incidents.'
