Holly Smith - 1-Jun-2007
- On the 24 May 2007, the Environment Agency
successfully obtained a High Court court
order in the Royal Courts of Justice in
London against Christopher Bowskill from
Edwinstowe, Mansfield.
Despite previous convictions for illegally
dumping waste, Mr Bowskill had continued
to illegally operate his waste management
company, A1 Skip Hire in the Mansfield and
Newark area. Mr Bowskill gave a formal undertaking
to the court not to illegally operate in
the waste management business within a sixty-mile
radius of Edwinstowe, Mansfield
At the hearing Mr Bowskill attended in
person and agreed to the terms of the injunction.
He was also ordered by the court to pay
£3000.00 towards Environment Agency
costs.
In a separate hearing on 27 April 2007
Christopher John Bowskill, trading as A1
Skip Hire 2002 was sentenced at Nottingham
Crown Court to nine charges relating to
illegally depositing storing and treating
waste. Nine other offences of a similar
nature were taken into consideration by
the court.
The charges were brought by the Environment
Agency under the Environmental Protection
Act (11000). Christopher John Bowskill was
given a 3-month prison sentence suspended
for 18 months and ordered to complete 80
hours community service.
Speaking after the case had been brought
against Mr Bowskill, Environment Agency
officer James Beckett, said; ‘ Despite being
prosecuted, Mr Bowskill continued to operate
illegally giving him financial gain over
legal skip companies by unlawfully dumping
waste.
‘The Environment Agency rarely apply for
such orders, but this should serve as a
warning to other waste operators that we
will use this power where necessary and
will not tolerate persistent behaviour that
threatens the environment.’
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Chichester College joins World Environment
Day campaign
Catherine Ross - 4-Jun-2007 - Chichester
College has teamed up with the Environment
Agency for world Environment Day. The college
will be encouraging its 16,000 students
and 1,400 staff to take part in the biggest
ever survey into attitudes towards climate
change.
The survey asks three questions:
What is the number one thing you’re doing
to tackle climate change?
What is the one extra thing that you could
do?
What’s stopping you?
Early results of the survey show that only
two out of five people in the south east
are doing anything to tackle climate change.
The initial survey results showed that16
per cent of people in the south east are
recycling, seven per cent use low energy
lightbulbs, and two per cent are using less
energy.
The most common thing that people said
they could do more was use the car less
(eight per cent) and use low energy lightbulbs
(five per cent).
The biggest barriers to action on climate
change are lack of public transport (eighteen
per cent) and laziness (ten per cent).
Kevin White from Chichester College said:
"When we heard about the World Environment
Day campaign we were really keen to get
involved. Climate change is such a big issue
and we can all take steps to reduce our
carbon emissions in an effort to stop the
climate changing."
Howard Davidson, Regional Director for
the Environment Agency added:
"We still hear a lot of people saying
that their small contribution to reducing
their carbon emissions won’t make a difference
to climate change. The truth is, that we
can all make a difference, but only if more
of us take action. This planet is home to
everyone who lives on it. We all need to
take responsibility for protecting it.
"We welcome Chichester College’s involvement
in the campaign. It’s not too late for other
organisations to get on board too."
World Environment Day is on 5 June. It
is an international celebration of the environment
and the events around the world are coordinated
by the United Nations Environment Programme.
To take part in the survey visit www.mendoftheworld.org.
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Environment Agency helps Young Anglers
Project to help budding anglers
Lyn Fraley - 1-Jun-2007 - On Saturday 2
June 2007, Environment Agency officers will
help Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and
Worcestershire youngsters get hooked on
fishing at the Lake at Twyning as part of
a Young Anglers Project (YAP) event to teach
children to fish. We will be taking a mobile
display tank to the event, so that the youngsters
can see for themselves some of the fish
that live in the lake.
We have invested over £4,000 in YAP,
to help them buy fishing equipment and materials
such as timber for the fishing platforms
at the lake, so that it can be used by anglers
of all ages and abilities. The money will
also help them pay qualified coaches so
that the children get high quality tuition.
The Environment Agency also funded 10 new
Angling Coaches through their qualifications,
so that YAP has a greater coaching resource.
This is an example of how we use rod licence
money to help to improve the future of angling
and it can be achieved only through the
support of anglers who buy rod licences.
The Government has recognised that angling
is a major participation sport and can play
a strong role in helping to address anti-social
behaviour, juvenile offending and social
inclusion. Pilot studies elsewhere have
also shown that properly run, coached angling
events, such as this one, are successful
in recruiting new anglers and keeping them
angling.
Fisheries & Recreation Officer, Sam
Chapman, says: "We want to break down
the barriers to angling. We have found that
there are three main reasons why people
do not take up angling. Firstly, they lack
somewhere to go. Secondly they need someone
to show them how and lastly they need the
equipment to use.
"We are delighted to work with organisations
like the Young Anglers Project, who provide
the solution with a location, equipment
and access to good quality coaching so that
new anglers of all ages & abilities
learn to fish responsibly."
Notes to Editors:
Anyone aged 12 years or over who fishes
for salmon, trout, freshwater fish or eels
in England and Wales is required by law
to have an Environment Agency Rod Fishing
Licence. Rod licences differ from permits
(often referred to as tickets or day tickets)
which give permission to fish a particular
water or waters and are issued by fishery
owners.
The onus in law is for the angler to prove
he was licenced to fish at the time of the
incident. If he fails to do so, he is liable
to be convicted for the offence of fishing
with an unlicensed instrument.
A rod licence entitles you to fish with
up to two rods and line at the same time
for coarse fish and eels, but with only
one rod and line for trout, sea trout, char
and salmon. Always check club rules and
local byelaws regarding the rod limit on
the water you intend to fish. Additional
licences are required if you fish with more
rods, where byelaws and rules permit.
You can buy Full, Junior, 8-day and 1-day
licences from our website www.environment-agency.gov.uk.
You can also buy a rod licence from any
Post Office in England and Wales, or on
our telephone sales line: 0870 1662 662.
From March to October the telephone line
is open 8 am - 8pm every day, and sells
all licence types.
Money from the sale of licences helps to
fund our work managing fisheries. If you
are caught fishing without one, you are
cheating other anglers and could be fined
up to £2,500.
New prices for 2007/08 - valid from 1 April
2007 - 31 March 2008
Category
Non-Migratory Trout and Coarse
Salmon and Sea Trout*
Full Season (expire on 31st March 2008)
£24.50
£66.50
Junior
£5.00
£33.25
8 Day
£8.75
£21.00
1 Day
£3.25
£7.00
* Salmon and sea trout licence covers non-migratory
trout and coarse fish as well
What other types of licence are available?
Concessionary licences for Blue Badge holders
and people in receipt of Disability Living
Allowance.
Concessionary licences for people aged 65
or over
Welsh/English bilingual licences
Important notice
Children under 12 years of age do not require
a rod fishing licence
Full and Concessionary rod licences expire
on 31st March
Failure to provide a valid Environment Agency
rod licence could result in prosecution
(maximum fine £2,500
About the Project
The Young Anglers Project is an initiative
aimed at reducing crime and anti-social
behaviour in Young People.
The project is based in Gloucestershire,
works with young people across the County
and into Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
It offers them the chance to get involved
with Angling and everything that goes with
it. The project runs courses which are tailored
to introduce young people to Angling (on
the bank and in the classroom) and inform
them about the countryside and wildlife,
and the role Anglers play in looking after
it.
The project is being run in association
with the Environment Agency, National Federation
of Anglers and Gloucestershire Police. All
of our coaches are Level 2 Trained and CRB
cleared.
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Environment Agency installs fish pass on
River Worth
Alexandra Wales - 1-Jun-2007 - Environment
Agency fisheries officers will be starting
work to install a fish pass onto the weir
on the River Worth at Keighley later this
summer, to help the river overcome its industrial
legacy.
The River Worth, in West Yorkshire, is
an important tributary of the River Aire.
Tributaries can provide valuable spawning
and nursery grounds for the River Aire’s
native brown trout population. However,
many weirs form barriers to fish and stop
them from reaching suitable spawning grounds.
The weirs were historically used to abstract
water for local mills.
The work is being carried out in partnership
with the Highways Agency and Yorkshire Water
as part of its Riverlife project. Contractors
Mott MacDonald Bentley will carry out the
construction.
The weir where the fish pass will be constructed
can be seen from the A650 and is owned by
the Highways Agency.
Next week, on June 5th, Environment Agency
fisheries officers will carry out an electrofishing
survey upstream and downstream of the weir
to determine how many fish are currently
there. An electric current is passed through
the water, drawing fish in, and allowing
them to be netted, identified and released
unharmed back into the river.
Some of the fish will be marked, so that
another survey can be done next year to
assess the effectiveness of the fish pass.
Environment Agency fisheries officer Pete
Turner said: "We're hoping that this
work will help the River Worth get back
to its natural state, and allow the trout
to move more freely along the river. We'll
be monitoring the river closely to see just
how successful the new fish pass is."
In summer, the Environment Agency will
install a rock ramp fish pass onto the weir.
This type of fish pass looks very natural
and works by putting large boulders on the
downstream side of the river, which create
slack water in which the fish can rest before
moving to the next until eventually they
can pass completely.
Ends
Notes to editors
Photo opportunity: 11am on Tuesday June
5. Environment Agency officers will carry
out an electrofishing survey to measure
and mark trout as part of plan for a new
fish pass on the River Worth. Meet at Aireworth
Grove, Keighley by the pedestrian subway
under the A650.
