The Environment Agency needs reform, says MP

2 hours ago

Mariam Issimdar

BBC News, Peterborough

Jeff Overs/BBC Sir Stephen Barclay being interviewed in a studio. He is wearing a dark-coloured jacket, white shirt and red tie.

The Environment Agency (EA) “needs fundamental reform,” according to an MP who expressed concern about a “lack of transparency and action” over pollution incidents.

Sir Stephen Barclay, the Conservative MP for North East Cambridgeshire and former environment secretary, said it was unacceptable outcomes and prosecutions had not yet been brought over pollution incidents in Cambridgeshire.

He urged the government to examine the body’s “lack of transparency and accountability on its operational performance”.

The Environment Agency has been asked to respond to the MP’s criticism.

Shariqua Ahmed/BBC Small orange and silver dead fish by a white boat in the water at the edge of a wooden mooring.

The incidents included two in Whittlesey, near Peterborough, one at Saxon Pit, seven years ago and another at King’s Dyke in September.

In a parliamentary debate on Wednesday, Sir Stephen claimed the EA’s lack of action could not be put down to resources, since its accounts showed an increase in staffing in the last Parliament by 21%, with expenditure increasing from £1.4bn to £2.2bn over the same period.

An incident at the King’s Dyke watercourse in September, which the EA declared as a category one, led to the death of about 900 fish.

Anglian Water said its storm overflow had operated as permitted during heavy rainfall, but that it found evidence of an oil slick close to one outfall, and high levels of ammonia at a second.

Speaking in the debate, the MP said: “We have the most serious level of pollution incident, a category one, which happened in September, yet the Environment Agency says it will not tell the public of Whittlesey the cause of it for at least a year.

“I do not believe that is a sufficient level of transparency or accountability.”

The EA has not revealed the outcome of its findings or whether any prosecutions were likely, but has said they will publish findings in September.

Anglian Water said it had no further comment to make since its response in October.

Shariqua Ahmed/BBC A dead fish floating in the water- next to a grassed river bank

The Saxon Pit incident saw 122,000 tonnes of waste dumped between October 2017 and February 2018.

“The EA’s initial response was to say that it was totally unaware of 122,000 tonnes of waste being dumped – but, regardless of whether the EA had been asleep at the wheel, we would expect it to then act,” said Sir Stephen.

“Seven years on the waste remains in situ.”

He added the EA said the dumping was a “priority” issue and promised prosecutions, neither of which have materialised.

Responding to Sir Stephen’s concerns, Emma Hardy, Labour’s Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, agreed constituents wanted action to pollution incidents.

“I have been told that the situation at King’s Dyke is progressing well, but we can have a more detailed conversation about both incidents with the [EA] area director, given that they involve criminal investigations,” she said.

The EA has been contacted for comment.

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