Alexandra Wales - 24-Apr-2007
- Anglers caught fishing without a licence
were yesterday fined by Northallerton and
Richmond magistrates’ Court in cases brought
by the Environment Agency.
The improvements made to fish habitats
and stocks are part funded directly from
rod licence sales, and the Environment Agency
is reminding all anglers to get their licence
for the new season as the money goes straight
back into the sport.
The £1,700 fines and costs were awarded
against 13 people by magistrates sitting
in Northallerton yesterday (Monday, April
23, 2007).
The following people were prosecuted for
fishing without a licence at Woodlands Lake,
Carlton Miniott, on 4 October 2006:
- Craig Bailey, aged 34, of Fell Lane,
Keighley was fined £50 with £70
in costs (Proved in Absence).
- Mark Young, aged 34, of Ware Street, Stockton-on-Tees,
was fined £50 with £70 costs.
(Guilty plea)
- Andrew Cassey, aged 28, of Knitsley Walk,
Stockton-on-Tees was fined £70 with
£70 costs (Proved in Absence).
- Alan Talbot, aged 25, of Brettenham Avenue,
Easterside, Middlesbrough was fined £50
with £70 costs. (Guilty plea).
- Philip Bell, aged 44, of Sidlaw Road,
Billingham, Cleveland was fined £70
with £70 costs (Proved in Absence).
- Anthony Jones, 23, of Crossfield Park,
Felling, Gateshead was fined £50 with
£70 costs after fishing without a
licence on November 5. (Guilty plea).
- Lee Winship, aged 30, of Middleton Road,
Hartlepool was £50 with £70
costs after fishing without a licence on
September 9. (Guilty plea).
The Environment Agency also prosecuted
two people after they admitted fishing without
a licence at Brafferton Pond, Helperby on
October 14. They were:
- Geoffrey Marsh, aged 37, of Tubwell Row,
Darlington was fined £70 with £70
costs (Proved in Absence).
- David Ross, aged 41, of Brougham Street,
Darlington was fined £70 with £70
costs (Proved in Absence).
A further two people were prosecuted for
fishing without a licence at The Oaks, Sessay
in October. The were:
- Scott Holme, aged 20, of Dowber Way,
Thirsk who was fined £50 with £70
costs. (Guilty plea).
- Brett Moffat, aged 24, of Maple Walk,
Ripon who was fined £70 with £70
costs (Proved in Absence).
Environment Agency fisheries development
manager Steve Chambers said: “Anglers who
fish without a valid rod licence need to
be aware that our water bailiffs are out
and about checking rod licenses. These court
results show that sooner or later they are
going to get caught and we won’t hesitate
to prosecute.”
Buying a licence couldn’t be easier – they
are available by phone, through the Environment
Agency’s website www.environment-agency.gov.uk/rodlicence
or from the Post Office. The standard adult
licence for the season costs £24.50
for non-migratory trout and coarse fish,
and £66.50 for a salmon and trout
licence.
The maximum fine in a magistrate’s court
for fishing without a licence is £2,500.
+ More
Drop in fly-tipping creates a better environment
in South Derbyshire
Holly Smith - 24-Apr-2007 - An Environment
Agency scheme in South Derbyshire to tackle
big, bad and nasty fly-tipping incidents
is paying dividends as figures show a 12%
reduction in incidents.
Tim Ross, the Environment Agency BREW project
officer said: "As part of the Business
Resource Efficiency and Waste (BREW) project,
the Environment Agency is cracking down
on dirty large-scale fly-tipping, illegal
waste sites and unregistered waste carriers.
"The 12% drop in incidents of this
large scale is positive news and shows we
are making a difference to our environment
in South Derbyshire. Looking at the national
picture we can see there are increasing
numbers of fly-tipping incidents being reported,
but with targeted campaigns like ours here
in Derby and South Derbyshire, we can see
that we can make a real difference to the
quality of life for local residents and
businesses."
The project, which covers Derby City and
South Derbyshire, is funded by Defra though
the landfill tax. To date, the project received
£130,000 funding to fight waste crime
to create a level playing field for legitimate
business and help reduce the amount of waste
produced by businesses in Derby and South
Derbyshire.
The team started cracking illegal waste
crime last summer and the projects legacy
is already evident in South Derbyshire.
The first ASBO for fly-tipping offences
in Derby and South Derbyshire was obtained
by the BREW team in 2006, against a persistent
Derby fly-tipper.
So far in South Derbyshire there have been
91 investigations into big, bad and nasty
fly-tipping incidents conducted by the team.
These investigations have resulted in 44
formal warnings, 3 formal cautions, 3 prosecutions
and one fixed penalty notice. 27 more investigations
are still on going.
Dave Briggs, from the Derbyshire Fly-Tipping
Forum set up by the project team, said:
"If you fly-tip, the message is simply
- beware. With a significant increase in
the numbers of dedicated staff working within
Derbyshire to investigate and prosecute
fly-tippers you have a higher risk then
ever of getting your day in court. People
who fly-tip run the risk of being fined
up to £50,000 or even getting 12 months
imprisonment."
This week is National Fly-Tipping Week,
a campaign spearheaded by the Countryside
Alliance highlights that fly-tipping is
likely to be come epidemic due to increasing
landfill tax. Dealing with the problem can
cost taxpayers and private landowners over
£100-£150 million every year.
Notes to editors
Householders and businesses can also play
their part in tackling fly-tipping. They
have a duty to ensure they only give their
waste to an ‘authorised person’ such as
a registered waste carrier. You can check
if the person you are giving your waste
to is registered with the Environment Agency
online at www.environment-agency.gov.uk/publicregister
or by calling 08708 506506.
Anyone who spots an incident of fly-tipping
should report the matter to the local authority
(contact details in telephone directory)
or call the Environment Agency 24 hour pollution
incident line on 0800 80 70 60 if the case
is more serious.
Farmers reminded to get ready for new hazardous
agricultural waste rules
Head Office Press Office - 24-Apr-2007
- The Environment Agency today (Tuesday)
reminded all farmers and growers that produce
hazardous waste such as fuel oil and pesticides
to make sure they are ready for the new
rules that come into play from 15 May 2007.
Mark Okunienski, Waste Policy Manager at
the Environment Agency, said: "Hazardous
wastes have the potential to harm human
health and our environment. From 15 May
these new rules place stricter controls
on the disposal, recovery and movement of
this type of waste in the agriculture sector
in England and Wales."
Waste is classed as hazardous if it contains
dangerous substances that need to be handled
and disposed of carefully in order to protect
our health and environment. The Environment
Agency has produced guidance on the new
rules and how to comply with them, available
to download from its website. It includes
examples on what these wastes are - e.g.
asbestos and waste oil.
Under the new rules farmers will need to:
know what hazardous waste they are producing
only give it to someone that is authorised
to handle it and make sure it is disposed
of at a properly authorised site, and
use a consignment note every time they or
someone else removes hazardous waste from
their farm.
In addition, the new controls also mean
if farmers produce more than 500kg of hazardous
waste a year (excluding scrap vehicles)
they must register with the Environment
Agency.
Mark Okunienski adds: "A consignment
note helps you to describe your hazardous
waste so other people know what it is and
helps to make sure it gets to a site that
can handle it. It also helps the Environment
Agency track the movement of this type of
waste as it has the potential to seriously
damage our environment.
"We will be producing a further guidance
note in early May which will tell you where
you can get a consignment note, how much
it costs, how to fill it out, what happens
to it and how long you need to keep a copy.
Farmers can find out if the person picking
up their hazardous waste is authorised to
do so online at www.environment-agency.gov.uk/publicregister."
For those who need to register as a producer,
this lasts for a year and farmers can apply
for their registrations:
on-line at www.environment-agency.gov.uk/registration
over the phone - 08708 502858
or by post - download a form from our website
(as above)
Each registration will cost farmers between
£18-£28 for each of their sites
that produce hazardous waste, depending
on the method chosen to register. Registering
on-line is the simplest and cheapest method
at £18 per site as opposed to £23
by telephone or £28 by post.
All farmers and producers will still have
to use a consignment note when removing
any hazardous waste from their farm, regardless
of whether they need to be registered or
not. If you use a contractor to remove your
waste, they should be able to advise you
on these rules and help you prepare consignment
notes.
Mark Okunienski continues: "Hazardous
waste controls have applied to other industries
since July 2005. We anticipate that most
farmers will produce hazardous waste at
some point and so will need to use a consignment
note when sending it off farm.
"However, we believe only 6% or so
will produce over 500kg in a year, and so
only these farmers will need to register
as producers. We want to help farmers get
ready for these changes and there is information
and guidance available online and over the
phone from us."
To find out more about agriculture waste
visit www.environment-agency.gov.uk/agriculturalwaste
or call the Environment Agency on 0845 603
3113.
