Paul Gainey - 24-Aug-2007
- The Environment Agency is investigating
the death of approximately 15,000 fish on
the River Stour following a pollution incident.
The Agency first received reports of dead
fish last Wednesday and sent officers to
investigate the river at Sturminster Mill
upsteam of Hinton St Mary where they found
several dead and dying fish including roach,
chub and pike.
This was hampered by high river flows and
failing light which meant only small numbers
of fish were found. The officers returned
at first light to continue their investigations,
concentrating on determining the source
of the pollution. Early indications suggest
pollution from farm run-off.
It now appears that organic pollution moved
downstream through the Caundell Brook and
River Lydden (tributaries of the River Stour)
and killed the fish. The pollution was diluted
by the rising river levels and greater flows
in the main Stour and coincided with a period
of heavy rain.
Investigations have continued all week
and as the rivers levels have receded more
dead fish have been found. Officers are
trying to trace the source of the spill
and have visited several farms on the Caundle
Brook, River Lydden and River Stour.
Current estimates suggest that more than
15,000 coarse fish (predominantly chub,
roach and perch) have died. Work is underway
to recover and dispose of these fish.
‘We are currently focussing on identifying
the sources of the pollution and are investigating
the impact on the invertebrate community.
A number of agricultural farms and industrial
units are under close inspection,’ said
Andy Martin for the Environment Agency.
‘Clearly this incident will be of great
concern to the angling community as a significant
number of fish have died. Over the coming
weeks we will be assessing the full impact
on the ecology of the river and considering
options to enable the river to recover as
soon as possible.’
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Environment Agency holds successful Doncaster
flood meetings
Alexandra Wales - 29-Aug-2007 - Around
90 people attended a drop-in session organised
by the Environment Agency for residents
affected by the recent flooding in Doncaster.
The drop-in meetings were held last week
in Toll Bar, Adwick-le-Street, Bentley and
Fishlake, and the aim was to give residents
an opportunity to learn more about the flooding,
and for officers to gather information about
the affected areas.
Residents also discussed the Environment
Agency’s catchment flood management plan
for the River Don, which determines the
most appropriate and sustainable ways to
tackle flooding in the area over the next
50 to 100 years.
Area flood risk manager Peter Holmes said:
“It was a busy week and it gave us the opportunity
to answer many people’s concerns. We collected
dozens of photographs of the flooding and
many people filled out our questionnaires.
“This information will be used to build
up a better picture of the flooding in specific
locations, and although we cannot stop the
problem altogether, we are continually adding
to our understanding of flooding in Doncaster
which helps us to make improvements for
people in the area.”
Other organisations which also attended
the sessions included the Citizens Advice
Bureau, the National Flood Forum, and local
health visitors.
Peter said: “We also signed up a lot of
residents to Floodline Warnings Direct,
which is a free service alerting residents
when they are at risk from flooding."
The information collected at the meetings
will also help staff improve coverage of
the flood warning service to communities
on the River Don.
To find out whether you are eligible for
a flood warning contact our Floodline number
on 0845 988 1188.
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Environment Agency 'throws the book' at
fly-tipping problem
Kate Selby - 29-Aug-2007 - A lucky Liverpool
plasterer has scooped VIP tickets to see
Manchester Utd vs Liverpool after learning
‘not to play dirty’ with his waste.
Roy Street of Calderstones, Liverpool entered
a competition organised by the Environment
Agency in a magazine aimed at raising awareness
and highlighting the growing environmental
problem of fly-tipping in Merseyside, called
The Waster.
Roy, who owns his own business in Liverpool
said: “I’m absolutely delighted to have
won this fantastic prize. As a self employed
plasterer, sometimes it’s hard to know what
I should be doing to make sure I’m being
environmentally friendly in my work. The
Environment Agency has opened my eyes to
a few important things I didn’t know before
- and the tickets are a great added bonus.”
With fly-tipping figures reaching an all
time high in recent years, The Waster is
the Environment Agency’s latest hit in the
fight against waste offenders. Now, with
access to advanced surveillance technologies
and forensic analysis, the Environment Agency
is getting tough with fly-tippers who face
fines of up to £50,000 and even imprisonment
for their crimes.
Tom Thornett, Campaign Manager for the
Merseyside project said: “Fly-tipping is
a huge problem in this region, and it costs
around £1m a year to clear it up.
Nobody wants to live in a waste ground,
that’s why the BREW campaign is talking
to businesses in the region about what they
can and should be doing with their waste”.
The Waster has been produced as part of
the Environment Agency’s BREW (Business
Resource Efficiency and Waste) campaign.
BREW is a Defra funded programme which helps
businesses to save money and the environment.
It is designed to encourage and support
businesses to make better use of their resources
and manage their waste more efficiently.
The Environment Agency will be offering
one more lucky reader the chance to win
£250 worth of tools and a free breakfast
as it launches a second competition at a
series of breakfast events to be held at
Jewsons branches across Liverpool in September.
The BREW team will be at various Jewsons
sites, handing out free breakfasts, advice
and copies of The Waster to anybody wanting
more information about their own waste responsibilities.
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Environment Agency holds Rotherham flood
drop-ins
Francesca Glyn-Jones - 29-Aug-2007 - Staff
from the Environment Agency will be talking
to residents in Rotherham next week who
were affected by the recent flooding.
The team, based in Leeds, is holding drop-in
sessions on:
• Tuesday, 4 September at St Mary’s Church,
Catcliffe;
• Wednesday, 5 September at Fitzwilliam
Arms, 1 Taylors Lane, Parkgate, Rotherham.
All sessions will start at 3pm and run
until 7pm.
The aim is to give residents an opportunity
to learn more about the flooding, and for
officers to gather information about how
the flooding affected specific areas.
The meetings are part of a series of drop-ins
which are being organised by the Environment
Agency across the region.
Area flood risk manager Peter Holmes said:
“This is an opportunity for us to explain
our initial findings to residents about
the flooding in their area, what we have
been doing since the flooding and what the
plans are for the future.
“We also want people to tell us how the
flooding affected different homes and streets
because the more we know, the more we can
do to find ways of protecting them. We are
also urging residents to come along with
photographs, and any other documentation
which we can use to plot the path and the
times of the flooding more specifically.”
His team expects to hold more than 20 drop-in
sessions across east, South and West Yorkshire,
and North Derbyshire, and will be letting
people know when and where these will be
held in the next few weeks.
Over the 12 hours worst hit by rain on
June 25, it is estimated that 400 million
tonnes of rain fell across the affected
area of south and west Yorkshire, and Humberside
– this is equal to the water from 18 Olympic
swimming pools falling every second.
The Environment Agency is responsible for
flood protection from main rivers and designated
smaller watercourses.
It also issues flood warnings and watches
to people in certain flood risk areas who
have signed up to receive the service.
The Environment Agency has gauges on many
main rivers across Yorkshire which helps
officers to monitor water levels and the
likelihood of flooding.
To find out whether you are eligible for
a flood warning contact our Floodline number
on 0845 988 1188.
