Latest news with #EnvironmentAgency
BBC News
18 hours ago
- BBC News
Swimmers told to avoid water at two Lake District bathing spots
Visitors are being advised not to swim at two Lake District beauty spots because of poor water Environment Agency (EA) said a high level of bacteria at Derwentwater, at Crow Park in Keswick and Coniston Water Boating Centre meant swimming was not was first designated as bathing water in 2024, but also received a poor water quality rating in the same year. The mayor of Keswick, Louise Dunn, said bacteria levels peaked during high rainfall, which meant it was not "all bad news" as levels were "fairly low" at other times. Dunn told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the EA was continuing to monitor the water, which would help landowners identify and investigate sources of pollution."In the mid to longer term the lake quality should improve and this will be really good for tourism," she said."Until now we have been swimming in the dark, so to speak. Swimmers can check the latest water quality readings on the Swimfo web site." A sample taken on 9 July at Derwentwater showed there were 1,200 colonies of Escherichia coli (E coli) per 100ml of water and 140 colonies of Intestinal Enterococci (IE) per 100ml of taken on 22 July from Coniston Water showed there were 410 colonies of E coli per 100ml of water and 240 colonies of IE per 100ml of presence of either bacteria indicates there is animal or human faecal matter in the water. 'Not leaving human poo' Dunn said the source of the pollution had not been confirmed but could have derived from human waste, animals or birds, sewage systems, septic tanks or agricultural said visitors to the area could help reduce pollution by "picking up after their dogs, not feeding the geese and ducks and disposing of campervan waste correctly"."And not leaving human poo on the lakeshore - yes, really that happens," she added. An EA spokesman said: "We are dedicated to ensuring that bathing water quality at Crow Park is improved."It is one of our newly designated bathing water sites. "Several factors could be impacting its water quality, and we are conducting investigations to understand what they are." Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Water firm stops 'illegal spill' into sewage facility
A water firm has said it has identified and stopped an "illegal discharge" into one of its sewage networks. Thames Water said a third party had caused the incident at Wheatley Sewage Treatment Works at the River Thame, Oxfordshire, which caused the treatment process to be "knocked out". An Environment Agency spokesman said about "30 fish in a stream called Wheatley Ditch were killed as a result". The water firm said it would "pursue investigations into the source of the substance and ensure appropriate action is taken". In a statement, Thames Water said it was carrying out "a full clean of the surrounding sewers and pumping station to ensure they are clean, clear, and free flowing". "We have identified the source of the substance as a third-party disposal into the wastewater network, which we have now stopped," the statement reads. "We have deployed tankers, to divert the wastewater flows to an alternative site in order to minimise the impact to the watercourse and we are working closely with the Environment Agency and local stakeholders during this time to ensure full recovery," the statement adds. Earlier, Jake Morley, the firm's government engagement lead for North Thames Valley, said the works were "not designed to take this type of waste and treat it". "We need to allow sites biological process time to recover," he said. "Once the site has recovered, we can slowly remove the tankers and treat as normal at the site." He said there was an indication that wildlife had been impacted. The EA said specialist officers were investigating the pollution incident which happened on Sunday. "Around 30 fish in a stream called Wheatley Ditch were killed as a result," the spokesperson said. "We are working with Thames Water to confirm the source and understand what happened." They appealed for anyone with information on that or any other suspected pollution in the waterways to contact the agency. Lib Dem Henley and Thame MP Freddie van Mierlo said he was "extremely concerned" by the incident reports. "We don't yet know the full extent, but it's clear that something has gone badly wrong," he said. "I've asked for urgent updates from Thames Water, and I'm grateful for the swift response from local councillors and community members. "Once the facts are established, we must ensure that those responsible are held to account and that everything possible is done to restore the health of the river." A Thames Water spokesperson said they would "pursue investigations into the source of the substance and ensure appropriate action is taken". You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Similar stories Sewage in rivers 'needs a bold solution' 'Shocking' rates of sewage discharged in rivers Thousands of homes face delay over sewage works Related Links Thames Water Environment Agency
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
East Midlands Airport hit with big fine for polluting brook with plane de-icer
East Midlands Airport has been fined nearly £900,000 for polluting the a brook with chemicals used to de-ice planes and runways. A judge at Derby Crown Court told the organisation it had 'failed to adequately invest in drainage systems' which led contaminated water leaching into the river and the nearby Diseworth Brook, leading to sewage fungus forming in both water courses. Bosses of the Castle Donington facility, whose draft financial figures for 2025 show a turnover of £97m the court heard, had previously pleaded guilty to three separate environmental offences at an earlier hearing, when the airport admitted to breaching its environmental permit conditions. In response, the managing director of the airport said since the matters came to light it has worked with the Environment Agency and had implemented £11m of improvements leaving him 'satisfied that the issues that led to this prosecution have been fully addressed'. READ MORE: Derby City Council took £50k of goods from my garage. I'll never get them back READ MORE: Teacher told symptoms were menopause and stress for years Fining the airport £892,500 and ordering it to pay £65,687.54 costs, Judge Martin Hurst said members of the public reported sewage fungus in both the Trent and Diseworth Brook in early 2021 and investigations revealed leaking of contaminated water had come from what he called 'a poorly maintained' storage pond. What did the judge say? He said: "In summary, this is a case about the defendant failing to adequately invest in drainage systems enabling, from 2015, many contaminated discharges into Diseworth Brook and the River Trent. 'The defence says the defendant is intent on correcting past failings and In my judgment it is now being properly managed with the defendant having spent in excess of £10m rectifying matters. But this was spent years too late and organisations need to realise they cannot underinvest.' Why did East Midlands Airport end up in court? All the charges involved excessive levels of Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) in wastewater discharged from the airport's facilities. The Environment Agency grants EMA a permit to discharge de-icing materials into the River Trent and nearby Diseworth Brook between November and April each year. However, the permit specifically requires that these discharges should not have 'adverse effects' on plants or animals in the water. Campaigners from Fish Legal and Derby Railway Angling Club had previously raised concerns about the airport's operations, claiming the facility was breaching its permit. They reported that a fungus had been growing on the riverbed as a result of the reported contamination. EMA's first offence dates back to Friday, January 14, 2022, when the airport exceeded permitted levels in discharge from the Western Summer Pond (a water storage unit). A second incident occurred on Tuesday, February 1, 2022, when excessive pollutants were discharged from the Eastern Summer Pond, Environment Agency officials said. The third and final charge relates to an incident on Friday, February 4, 2022, when regulations were again breached with excessive BOD levels from the Western Summer Ponds. All violations were contrary to Regulation 38(2) of the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016. 'We take our environmental responsibilities very seriously' Following the conclusion of the case, East Midlands Airport's Managing Director Steve Griffiths said: '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. Since this period we have been working with the Environment Agency and external industry experts to carry out remedial action. 'We have put in place £11m of improvements, including establishing a new water management team focused on inspecting, maintaining and operating the surface water management system daily. We have installed new monitoring equipment at key locations which provide better insight into prevailing water quality and quantity conditions. '(we have) implemented additional aeration capability which improves the way water is treated before being discharged to the watercourse, as well as carrying out comprehensive remedial works and desilting of ponds. We have also introduced a specially adapted sweeper to clean up de-icer from the airfield before it reaches the drainage system. '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
a day ago
- General
- BBC News
Thames Water investigates 'illegal spill' into sewage facility
A water firm has said it is investigating an "illegal discharge" into one of its sewage Water said a third party had caused the incident at Wheatley Sewage Treatment Works at the River Thame, Oxfordshire, which caused the treatment process to be "knocked out".It said 15 tankers were being used to remove sewage from the site and take it to another facility for firm said there was an indication that wildlife had been impacted. Jake Morley, the firm's government engagement lead for North Thames Valley, said the works were "not designed to take this type of waste and treat it". "We need to allow sites biological process time to recover," he said."Once the site has recovered, we can slowly remove the tankers and treat as normal at the site."He said Thames Water was working the with the Environment Agency (EA) at affected watercourses "both at the ditch and the River Thame". "We are working very hard to reduce the impact to the watercourse," Mr Morley EA has been contacted for a Dem Henley and Thame MP Freddie van Mierlo said he was "extremely concerned" by the incident reports."We don't yet know the full extent, but it's clear that something has gone badly wrong," he said."I've asked for urgent updates from Thames Water, and I'm grateful for the swift response from local councillors and community members."Once the facts are established, we must ensure that those responsible are held to account and that everything possible is done to restore the health of the river." You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
ITV News
a day ago
- General
- ITV News
East Midlands Airport fined nearly £900,000 for polluting the Diseworth Brook with chemicals
East Midlands Airport has been fined almost £900,000 for polluting the Diseworth Brook with chemicals used to de-ice planes and runways. Bosses of the Castle Donington facility admitted three separate environmental offences during a court hearing in April.A judge at Derby Crown Court today (July 28th) fined the airport £892,500 and ordered it to pay £55,647.84 costs. Judge Martin Hurst said members of the public reported sewage fungus in both the River Trent and Diseworth Brook in early 2021. Investigations revealed that leaking of contaminated water had come from what he called 'a poorly maintained' storage pond. All the charges involved excessive levels of Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) in wastewater discharged from the airport's facilities. The Environment Agency grants EMA a permit to discharge de-icing materials into the River Trent and nearby Diseworth Brook between November and April each year. However, the permit specifically requires that these discharges should not have 'adverse effects' on plants or animals in the water. Campaigners from Fish Legal and Derby Railway Angling Club had previously raised concerns about the airport's operations, claiming the facility was breaching its reported that a fungus had been growing on the riverbed as a result of the reported contamination. EMA's first offence dates back to January 14th, 2022, when the airport exceeded permitted levels in discharge from the Western Summer Pond (a water storage unit). A second incident occurred on February 1st, 2022, when excessive pollutants were discharged from the Eastern Summer Pond, Environment Agency officials said. The third and final charge relates to an incident on February 4th, 2022, when regulations were again breached with excessive BOD levels from the Western Summer Ponds. All violations were contrary to Regulation 38(2) of the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016. The managing director of the airport said that since the matters came to light, it has worked with the Environment Agency and has implemented £11m of improvements. Speaking after the hearing, East Midlands Airport Managing Director Steve Griffiths said: '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. "Since this period, we have been working with the Environment Agency and external industry experts to carry out remedial action. 'We have put in place £11m of improvements, including establishing a new water management team focused on inspecting, maintaining, and operating the surface water management system daily. "We have installed new monitoring equipment at key locations, which provide better insight into prevailing water quality and quantity conditions. '[We have] implemented additional aeration capability, which improves the way water is treated before being discharged to the watercourse, as well as carrying out comprehensive remedial works and desilting of ponds. "We have also introduced a specially adapted sweeper to clean up de-icer from the airfield before it reaches the drainage system. '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.'
