South West Water challenged on ‘missing’ data

Environment campaigner Feargal Sharkey has challenged South West Water over what he claimed was missing data about sewage discharges around the Devon coast. Mr Sharkey tweeted a copy of a map showing where storm overflows had been used at the weekend, and also where no information was available.

Edward Oldfield www.devonlive.com

The former lead singer with the 70s and 80s punk band The Undertones asked South West Water why it had “stopped supplying the data”. The keen fly fisherman has in recent years been an outspoken campaigner against the pollution of the UK’s waterways.

The map he used is published by Surfers Against Sewage and gives real-time updates on water quality around the coast. It relies on data provided by the water companies on the activation of combined sewer overflows, and water quality analysis from the Environment Agency, but that only operates from May to September.

Companies are legally allowed to release a mixture of raw sewage and rainwater into the sea following exceptionally heavy rain. That is to prevent the networking backing up to cause flooding at roads, homes and businesses. Downpours can also wash animal waste and fertiliser into rivers and seas, causing a pollution risk.

One Tuesday morning, the Surfers Against Sewage map showed an ‘out-of-season’ message for the places where information provided by the Environment Agency only during the summer season was not available. Other locations showed a message that sewer systems are under maintenance and real-time alerts have been temporarily disabled. In Devon, they were Sidmouth Town, Budleigh Salterton, Dawlish Coryton Cove, Paignton Preston Sands, and Shoalstone Beach.

Meanwhile there were pollution alerts listed at Exmouth, Meadfoot at Torquay and Goodrington at Paignton, saying that storm sewage had been discharged within the last 48 hours. South West Water said it issued precautionary alerts of a possible temporary impact on bathing water quality at those locations on Sunday. That was due to heavy localised rainfall which could trigger a storm overflow, and the alerts were lifted on Monday.

Enlarged view of South West peninsular below, showing many red dots and “grayed out, info unavailable” ones particularly on the South Coast. Link to tweet here

The Environment Agency publishes its ‘Swimfo’ map updated with water quality information from designated bathing waters around the coast between May and September. It provides weekly water quality assessments and daily pollution forecasts for some locations during that period.

South West Water said its BeachLive service issues precautionary alerts when a storm overflow might temporarily impact bathing water quality, and it operates all year round with alerts issued in near real-time. It supplies information to the Safer Seas & Rivers Service, which provides the map on the Surfers Against Sewage website and a mobile phone app.

South West Water said in a statement: “Our BeachLive alerts are being sent out as normal. The third party app receives information from two sources, BeachLive and the Environment Agency’s Pollution Risk Forecast (PRF) system, which looks at rainfall over the beach catchment, along with wind and tidal data. The EA’s PRF system only operates between 1 May and 30 September and hence the app will show out of season advice for those beaches that only receive warnings from the EA PRF system.”

The statement added: “Monitors at Sidmouth Town, Dawlish Coryton Cove, Paignton Preston Sands and Shoalstone are currently under maintenance due to suspected signalling issues. We are investigating these assets and will ensure they are back online as soon as possible. This does not mean that BeachLive warnings for those beaches will not be issued. Where a beach has more than one asset that might affect its water quality then, if any asset not in maintenance mode has a spill, a warning would still be issued.”

A South West Water spokesperson said: “Precautionary alerts were raised at Exmouth, Meadfoot and Goodrington on Sunday to notify that there could have been a temporary impact to bathing water quality, due to heavy, localised rainfall which can cause our storm overflows to trigger. These alerts were lifted on Monday.

“South West Water’s largest environmental investment programme in 15 years, WaterFit, is now well underway, focused on delivering benefits for customers, communities and the environment. Through WaterFit we will dramatically reduce our use of storm overflows, reduce and then remove our impact on river water quality by 2030 and maintain our excellent bathing water standards all year round.”

The discharge of raw sewage into rivers and seas hit the headlines last year after the government rejected a plan from the House of Lords to end storm overflows. The government voted down an amendment to the Environment Bill, then did a U-turn after an outcry and announced it will tighten the law to put a legal duty on water firms to reduce the harm from storm overflows.

[The policy to build 40 new hospitals by 2030 was one of the key domestic pledges Boris Johnson announced before the 2019 election. This manifesto and subsequent electoral mandate is being used to legitimise the Sunak regime. – Owl]

Plymouth’s super health hub at Colin Campbell Court is in danger of not being built after the Government confirmed £41m of funding for the project is not available. Despite demolition work having started in Western Approach the health minister said there is no national NHS cash, which would have underpinned the scheme.

William Telford www.plymouthherald.co.uk

It means the project is now in severe jeopardy. The West End Health and Wellbeing Hub was heralded as being highly important for regenerating the lower end of the city centre and relieving pressure on Derriford Hospital.

Three city GPs’ practices would have relocated into the building too. Construction work was due to start in early 2023, but the Government has confirmed that NHS England funding will not be available and had never actually been committed.

Luke Pollard, Labour MP for Sutton and Devonport, said: “If the project gets binned because ministers have withdrawn the £41m of funding, the detrimental knock-on-effect this will have on our city’s health cannot be understated. Our city’s health GP service is facing collapse.

“People in Plymouth deserve better than a creaking health service. The Government cannot be allowed to deny us a project which could provide a lifeline for Plymouth’s health.”

At a Westminster Hall debate today he asked health minister Robert Jenrick to restore the funding or find it from elsewhere. He said: “What are the options to ensure we can build the super health hub?”

Mr Jenrick confirmed there was no national NHS funding available but said £250m had been given to the Devon Integrated Care Board, for the next three years, and that board could fund the Plymouth building if it deemed it a priority, The minister said he would visit Plymouth and broker a meeting involving Devon Integrated Care Board, stakeholders such as the city council and NHS England to look for an “innovative or creative” solution.

The West End Health and Wellbeing Centre, which at 5,700sq m is bigger than Colin Campbell House, was planned to front onto Western Approach and fill a huge part of the car park in down-at-heel Colin Campbell Court. Plans show an eye-catching three-storey block with living, plant-covered “green walls” and a glass-roofed inner “green courtyard”, with the entire building surrounded by landscaped gardens. Demolition of stores fronting Western Approach is underway.

How the planned West End Health and Wellbeing Centre, with its glazed roof creating a ‘tunnel of light’ though the building, in Plymouth could look (Image: KTA)

It was planned for the building, envisaged as one of a number of Cavell Centre in-community health and wellbeing hubs, housing the North Road West Medical Centre, Adelaide Surgery and Armada Surgery GPs’ centres, which would close and move into the building. It would also house outpatient services provided by University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, mental health, community health and diagnostic services, including X-ray, alongside a pharmacy, community kitchen and dining area, cafe, mental health area, and bookable interview and voluntary sector rooms, and small meeting “pods”, on the ground floor.

The project was also aimed at being the first segment in a regeneration of the Colin Campbell Court area, which could eventually see the refurbishment of the art deco Colin Campbell House, and the demolition and replacement of some buildings fronting Western Approach and Market Avenue with blocks of flats. And, being open seven days a week with up to 250 staff and around 3,000 appointments a day, it was predicted it would bring a huge economic boost to the area.

Mr Pollard said Plymouth’s health service is already at “breaking point” and “facing collapse”, despite the heroic effort of staff. He said some patients have been reportedly waiting more than 24 hours in an ambulance, and for an average of more than nine hours before being either admitted, treated or discharged from Derriford Hospital.

The health hub would also be based in Stonehouse, an area with the greatest health needs and lowest life expectancy in the city. Stonehouse accounts for about 20% of Derriford Hospital’s admissions and the new NHS facility was designed to improve access to health services and reduce the need for emergency admissions with early intervention and prevention.

Mr Pollard also stressed the project would be expected to generate significant financial benefits to the area, along with hopes that the investments generated would revitalise a part of the city centre that has “not received much love in recent years”.

He said: ““The super health hub is Plymouth’s flagship health project to address the GP crisis. By bringing health to the high street the aim is to treat more people earlier, prevent illness and cut emergency admissions at Derriford.

“This project matters a great deal to me. I have been campaigning for a super health hub in the city centre for years because I strongly believe the facility could be truly transformative for health in Plymouth. “

The project is a cross-party initiative and Richard Bingley, Tory leader of Plymouth City Council, said: “The West End Health and Wellbeing Centre would bring a massive range of benefits to people in Stonehouse – parts of which are in the top 1% of deprived areas in the country. The building and, most importantly, the new model of care it will deliver with integrated health and care services in one place, is a key development in addressing some of the vast health inequalities in the area.”

Mary Aspinall, Plymouth Labour’s spokesperson on health, said: “I am absolutely shocked that the rug is being pulled from under this huge investment in our city which would provide about 3,000 appointments a day and employ 250 staff. We will fight it tooth and nail. People in Plymouth do not deserve to be treated this way.”

From a correspondent: 

Yesterday four residents spoke to the EDDC Planning Committee about the issues regarding the construction of the three four story tower blocks backing on to the gardens at the bottom of Clyst Valley Road.

The application was debated at quite some length. Eventually Mike Howe suggested to the Planning Committee that they visit the proposed site and see for themselves exactly where the apartment blocks are proposed to go and just how large they will be. Residents remain hopeful that the good reasons that Charlie Hopkins ( the barrister) gave for refusal will see something that is far more in keeping for a rural village put forward.

[The Parish Council meets today at Clyst St Mary Village Hall at 2pmto discuss the vexed question of the Enfield Anaerobic Digester agenda here]

Dirty dairy farmers killing our rivers – Owl

An inspector was met with threats of violence at the start of a project in North Devon to check if farms were complying with rules to protect water quality, a report from the Environment Agency says. The study found nine out 10 of livestock businesses visited around the Taw Estuary were either causing pollution or breaking regulations.

Edward Oldfield www.devonlive.com

The project discovered a ‘surprising’ level of ‘complacency’ towards environmental rules and planning law on the farms that were visited, probably due to years of cutbacks in inspection visits. Details emerged in the report on the four-year project funded by the Environment Agency to improve the quality of waterways feeding the River Taw, which have been judged as poor or moderate due to pollution from cattle waste and fertiliser from the mostly dairy farms in the area.

An inspector visited 101 of the larger farms in the project area from 2016 to 2020. They found 66 were causing pollution, and in total 87% were either causing pollution or failed to comply with rules to protect the environment. The unannounced inspection visits resulted in advice in most cases, although there is one ongoing case of enforcement action.

The report, obtained by The Guardian under a Freedom of Information request, said the number of frontline inspection staff had been cut back in the last 15 years, which meant most farmers could expect to never have a visit during their lifetime. It said: “This may have led to complacency about regulations and a general reluctance to engage with the Environment Agency. The officer was subjected to hostility, aggression, and threats of physical violence at the start of the project, but there has been a marked change in attitude and some farmers will now contact the officer for advice.”

The officer was able to refer farmers to sources of advice and funding to improve the infrastructure on their farms, to meet regulations and reduce the risk of pollution affecting the waterways.

The 200 square kilometre area of North Devon was identified for the project, along with the River Axe in East Devon, due to concerns over the influence of farming on water quality. The inspections found problems with low quality infrastructure leading to poor management of slurry, run-off from fields rich in nutrients, and the use of fertiliser.

The area focused on was made up the catchments for the River Caen, Bradiford Water and River Yeo (Barnstaple), all of which discharge into the Taw Torridge Estuary. The Bradiford Water, Lower River Caen and Lower River Yeo were assessed as in Poor condition and the rest as Moderate.

The report said there was evidence that agriculture has a major influence on the quality of rivers. It said the low water quality in the surrounding area affected the Taw Torridge Estuary and “poses a significant risk” to bathing waters in the area, which has also seen salmon stocks continue to decline.

The estuary has protected status for shellfish, is a bass nursery, and a migration route for salmon, eels, elvers and shad in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and a Unesco Biosphere Reserve. The report said the estuary waters are “failing” due to high levels of dissolved inorganic nitrogen, algae, and faecal indicators, mostly from livestock, in the shellfish waters and the beach at Instow, which has had its bathing water status removed.

The estuary discharges into Bideford Bay and can affect bathing waters from Westward Ho! to the south, through to Saunton Sands, Croyde, Putsborough and Woolacombe beaches to the north, all popular tourist destinations for water sports and vital to the area’s multi-million pound visitor economy.

The report said South West Water had invested to reduce nitrates from the major works discharging to the estuary serving Barnstaple and the surrounding area. It added: “However, the catchment continues to fail its water quality targets and it is postulated that this is mainly due to nutrient enrichment from dairy farming.”

The report said farmers in recent years had come under “intense commercial pressure” from low milk prices to expand dairy herds, often without increasing the size of storage for cattle waste, a mixture of manure and water known as slurry which is used as fertiliser. In some cases, DIY projects built without planning permission and ignoring guidelines can overflow or fail and cause pollution. The report adds: “When slurry stores have catastrophic failures, as well as risks to the environment, there is a real risk of injury or death from the physical failure of the structure or drowning.”

It said the dairy sector has “high potential” to release sediment, nitrate and phosphorus to rivers. The Taw Estuary is classed as a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone, which means it has a closed season for fertiliser and manure spreading, but winter spreading often took place, often on saturated soils.

The report said there was “particular concern” at the widespread lack of compliance with slurry storage rules, which required five months of storage. The report said non-compliance with regulations and planning rules “appeared widespread”. It added: “Considering the cost of these stores, this is surprising and indicates a complacency towards environmental regulations and planning law, something that would not be so prevalent in other regulated industries.”

The corporation was live outside Downing Street on Monday as the former Chancellor was confirmed as the next UK Prime Minister.

A segment of the programme featured a Savanta ComRes poll which asked people to describe the Tory leader in one word.

Craig Meighan www.thenational.scot 

Among the popular phrases to describe the PM were “rich”, “okay”, “capable” and “liar”.

Other descriptions included “boring”, “posh” and “arrogant”.

But some viewers were surprised when they saw the words “twat” and “c***” spread across their TV screens.

The first expletive had no symbols to obscure the word while the latter had an asterisk only for the second letter.

One Twitter user shared a picture of their TV screen and said: “The BBC have accidentally broadcast the word c*** twice in a week, unbelievable scenes.”

Meanwhile Wayne David said: “I actually cannot believe the BBC News showed this Rishi Sunak word cloud earlier today.”

One user described the clip as “too funny” while another said “yeah I’d say that’s about right”.

“I would be grateful if you could convey my resignation as secretary for business, energy and industrial strategy to the King,”

Everyone, especially in the Scottish Press, is struggling with Jacob Rees-Mogg’s hand-written resignation letter dated “St Crispin’s Day”.

The last hurrah for the so-called honourable member for the 18th century is good news though. – Owl

Parliamentary Private Secretaries are appointed by ministers. So with Clarke gone our Simon will be looking for another job. Owl can’t see him being cerebral enough for Michael Gove the new levelling up minister.

With his old boss Dominic Raab back as deputy PM and Justice Secretary he could be in with a chance.

Simon will be glued to his phone for days waiting for a call.

Shock return of Suella Braverman taints Rishi Sunak’s vow to lead government with ‘integrity’.

The shock return of Suella Braverman as home secretary has undermined Rishi Sunak’s promise to lead a government with “integrity” on his first day in No 10….

Rob Merrick www.independent.co.uk (extract)

…Mr Sunak’s most significant move was to bring back the home secretary sacked – just six days ago – for a security breach that broke the ministerial code, in apparent payback for Ms Braverman backing his campaign.

The arch right-winger admitted breaching the rules by sending a policy document on an immigration shake-up from her private email to a colleague, allegedly misleading Ms Truss about it.

Just hours earlier, Mr Sunak, speaking outside No 10, had promised the country: “This government will have integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level. Trust is earned. And I will earn yours.”

Yvette Cooper, Labour’s shadow home secretary, said: “Just a few hours into the job and Rishi Sunak is already putting party before country.”

Ms Braverman had left office “for breaches of the ministerial code, security lapses, sending sensitive government information through unauthorised personal channels, and following weeks of non-stop public disagreements with other cabinet ministers”, she said….

…“His decision to bring Braverman back as home secretary, less than a week after she resigned for breaching the ministerial code, suggests he intends to repeat them.”

Rishi Sunak has also appointed vehemently anti-trans Tory MP Kemi Badenoch to his cabinet as minister for women and equalities. www.pinknews.co.uk