Rita Penman
- 6-Mar-2008 - The Environment Agency put
on a series of work-place mini plays at
their Brampton offices on Friday 29 February.
But this was not a sports and social club
event. It was all part of the Environment
Agency’s Diversity Week.
A team of professional
actors from a company called CentreStage
acted out some scenarios that you could
come across in real life. More than 30 Environment
Agency staff watched and discussed the thought-provoking
scenes.
The Environment Agency
makes every effort to recruit and retain
a workforce that reflects the multi-cultural
nature of the communities it serves and
tries hard not to be prejudiced towards
an individual regardless of age, disability,
gender, faith/religion, race or sexual orientation.
Alison Pennycook, the
Environment Agency’s local Diversity Advisor
said: ‘CentreStage used this half-day workshop
to provide us with innovative and interactive
experiences. The workshop raised awareness
of diversity for our newer employees and
it served as a reminder to longer serving
staff.
‘We believe that by
acting out scenarios we can highlight some
potential pitfalls. The lessons we are learning
might also challenge other local employers
to consider their attitudes and approach
to diversity.’
+ More
Environment Agency speeding
boater prosecution makes waves
Jane Nower - 4-Mar-2008
- A speeding boater was brought to justice
thanks to a partnership between the Environment
Agency and Surrey Police Force, after the
wash from his boat caused damage to property
and potential danger to life in Summer 2007.
On Wednesday 28 February
2008, Darren Chapman, of Admirals Way, Gravesend,
Kent pleaded guilty before Staines Magistrates’
Court to travelling at speed without due
consideration for others on the River Thames
at Sunbury on the 7 July 2007. The defendant’s
speed was said to be the nautical equivalent
of a car driver doing 90 mph in a 30 mph
limit on a road. He was fined £250
and ordered to pay compensation of £446.50
to an aggrieved riverside homeowner on Thames
Court Island, as well as prosecution costs
of £479, making a total cost of £1,175.
Mr Chapman, 39, was
spotted travelling downstream in his boat
“The Flyer”, at a speed estimated at between
15 and 20 miles per hour by off-duty special
constable Christopher Wills. SPC Wills and
his companions shouted at the defendant,
asking him to slow down, which he did.
However, as the officers
travelled upstream they were hailed by Mr.
Peter Robertson of Thames Court Island,
who complained that a two to three foot
wash from “The Flyer” had caused damage
to his property. The force of the wash caused
part of a block from a mooring wall to fall
into his boat. In trying to secure the boats
as Mr Chapman sped by, Mr Robertson’s next
door neighbour fell in to the river.
Pleading guilty to speeding
and causing wash, Chapman told the court
he took full responsibility and was extremely
sorry for his behaviour. He explained he
had not navigated the Thames before and
had only just bought the boat . He purchased
the boat in Tewkesbury and had then taken
the boat by road to Windsor Marina where
he started his journey to Gravesend. He
said he had not fully understood the need
for low speed and care on the River Thames
before this but was now much wiser and had
learnt a hard lesson.
Environment Agency waterways
team leader Carl Walters said: “The maximum
speed for boats on the Thames is eight kilometres
per hour (five miles per hour) for very
good reasons. Excessive speed causes excessive
wash which can be extremely dangerous to
other river users, especially those in small
boats. The excessive wash can also destabilise
banks and cause damage as in this case,
and can affect wildlife such as nesting
water birds. It is also generally anti-social.
“Anyone taking up boating
should be fully aware of the rules, regulations
and general code of river behaviour. This
information can be found in the our publication
‘A user’s guide to the River Thames’ which
can be picked up at locks or downloaded
from www.visitthames.co.uk ”
+ More
Environment Agency appoints
new Director of Communications
Head Office Press Office
- 5-Mar-2008 - The Environment Agency has
appointed Adrian Long as its new Director
of Communications.
Long, who was the Environment
Agency’s head of corporate communications
for the past five years, has more than twenty
years’ experience as a communications specialist
and journalist on environmental, political
and social issues.
In his new role he is
responsible for more than 110 staff based
in London and Bristol, and will lead the
national press office, corporate and internal
communications, Government and Parliamentary
affairs, European and international issues,
as well as customer and community relations,
and external funding. He reports to Chief
Executive Baroness Barbara Young.
He replaces Helen McCallum,
who left in November 2007 to become Director
of Policy at Which? (the Consumer’s Association).
"The Environment
Agency has done some great work over the
past few years and our communications have
improved markedly - but the environmental
stakes have got higher," explained
Long.
"Effective communications
will increasingly be part of how we protect
and improve the environment and I’m looking
forward to leading our response to that
challenge.
"We have vital
work to do in helping people and businesses
adapt to changes in our climate. That means
it’s important that our communications are
clear, focused and easy to act on - whether
you are a business we regulate or someone
at risk of flooding."
Before joining the Environment
Agency in 2003 he was special advisor to
the former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott
and Lord Gus Macdonald at the Department
of Environment, Transport and the Regions
(1998-2001) and Head of Communications at
the Soil Association, the organic food and
farming organisation (2001-2003).
In the mid-11000s he
was an award-winning television and radio
producer for BBC News and Current Affairs,
where he was a producer of BBC One’s On
the Record. He earlier worked as Head of
Media for the GMB general union and for
Gould Mattinson Associates.
+ More
Environment Agency announces
new rod licence prices as fisheries investment
hits new high
Head Office Press Office
- 3-Mar-2008 - Although no-one likes to
pay more for something, most anglers should
be happy with the news that although the
price of some rod licences is increasing
the Environment Agency intends to spend
more this year on fisheries work for the
benefit of all anglers than ever before.
About £34m will
be spent on a wide variety of projects,
including work to improve habitats for fish
on both rivers and stillwaters, improved
access to fisheries with the provision of
car parking, pathways and the provision
of angling platforms, support for angling
participation schemes to promote the development
and participation in fishing, especially
for disabled anglers.
Money is also spent
on monitoring, habitat improvements, rescuing
fish, regulating and enforcing fisheries
legislation, promoting fisheries and fishing,
cracking down on illegal fishing and fish
movements, pollution prevention, control
and clean ups, and fish disease research.
There will also be work to improve salmon
and eel stocks.
Many of the projects,
particularly coarse and trout projects,
involves working with other organisations
which doubles or trebles the total investment
in fisheries improvements. In addition,
regions carry out localised improvements
within their revenue budgets and work with
colleagues in flood risk management and
water resources to incorporate fisheries
improvements as part of their schemes.
"With current full
licences set to expire on March 31, it is
very important at this time of year for
all anglers to ensure they have a valid
licence before heading out to fish,"
explained Environment Agency Head of Fisheries
Dafydd Evans.
"As you can see,
rod licence fees are essential in improving
and maintaining our fisheries. This year
we expect to invest nearly £34m in
fishing across England and Wales, with £23.4m
of this coming directly from anglers, and
another £9.4m coming from DEFRA and
the Welsh Assembly Government."
In 2006/2007 the Environment Agency:-
• Carried out 214 fisheries
habitat improvement projects.
• Coached more than
5,000 youngsters in angling through the
participation programme Get Hooked on Fishing.
• Sponsored National
Fishing Week and organised 400 introduction
events resulting in 30,000 taster sessions.
• Made nearly 3,000
visits to fisheries and angling clubs to
offer advice, and attended nearly 1,000
angling clubs and consultation forums.
• Checked more than
160,000 anglers for their rod licences.
• Monitored fish stocks
at 2,500 sites across England and Wales.
• Gave more than 9,000
consents to introduce fish.
• Reared and stocked
more than 400,000 coarse fish from our fish
farms at Leyland and Calverton.
• Monitored nearly 3,000
fish removals to prevent risks of disease
to fisheries.
• Distributed more than
600,000 free local angling guides to licence
holders through local angling shops.
• Helped 3,000 Scouts
earn their angling badge.
• Helped set up 25 social
inclusion schemes that use coarse angling.
• Funded 75% of the
coarse angling coaches in the country.
Anyone 12 years old
or over who wants to fish for salmon, trout,
freshwater fish and eels in England and
Wales and the Border Esk in Scotland requires
a licence from the Environment Agency. Failure
to have a licence is an offence. Those caught
fishing illegally face tough penalties,
including fines of up to £2,500 and
a ban from fishing.
In 2007 more than 4,300
anglers appeared in front of judges across
England and Wales for fishing without a
valid rod licence. They paid nearly £610,000
in fines and costs. In addition 35 anglers
received cautions from the courts, a man
from Hastings was banned from fishing for
one year and a man from Staines was banned
for two and a half years.
Rod licences expire
on March 31, 2008. Buying a new licence
couldn’t be easier - around 15,000 Post
Offices and other outlets sell them; a direct
debit can be set up, and they can be purchased
over the phone (0870 1662662) or on-line
at www.environment-agency.gov.uk/rodlicence
any time, day or night.
Licence type Category
1/4/2008 - 31/3/2009
Non-migratory trout, char, Full annual £25.00
freshwater fish (coarse fish) Concessionary
annual £16.75
and eels Junior annual £5.00
8-day temporary £9.00
1-day temporary £3.50
Salmon, migratory trout (sea trout), Full
annual £68.00
non-migratory trout, char, freshwater Concessionary
annual £45.00
fish (coarse fish) and eels Junior annual
£5.00
8-day temporary £22.00
1-day temporary £7.50
