The Environment Agency faces new allegations of neglect of the River Wye after a project by a conservation group found effluent and contaminated waters at free-range egg farms flowing directly into watercourses in the catchment.

Jon Ungoed-Thomas www.theguardian.com 

Out of 47 sites visited in England and Wales in the Wye catchment, 19 had drains running from the poultry units to a nearby watercourse. Many of the farms had drains excavated within a few metres of the sheds.

Charles Watson, chair of River Action, the charity that obtained details of the advisory visits to free-range egg farms under freedom of information laws, said: “These documents show a large number of intensive egg production farms have been allowing the excrement of hundreds of thousands of chickens to run off, without any proper mitigation, straight into the river system.

“This is in clear breach of the regulations, and the bodies protecting the environment have largely been in denial while this has been going on. There has been scandalous neglect over the years.”The River Wye has been blighted by poultry pollution, with hundreds of new production units approved in the last two decades to feed the nation’s huge demand for chicken meat and eggs. The condition of the River Wye was downgraded last May after campaigners warned its ecosystem has been devastated by intensive poultry production.

The advisory visits to the farms were conducted by the Wye and Usk Foundation, which works to improve the ecology of the River Wye. The visits were conducted in partnership with free-range egg farmers, including suppliers to Noble Foods, owner of the free-range egg brand the Happy Egg Company.

In an email to Environment Agency officials sent in February last year, the Wye and Usk Foundation said that drainage water from the farms was “a pollution risk and should not be directed to watercourses”. It added that the issue was “very common and one that we have found very difficult to address”.

The charity was seeking guidance on how the run-off should be treated. The Wye and Usk Foundation is working with farmers to better protect the River Wye catchment from effluent and agricultural run-off.

Simon Evans, chief executive of the Wye and Usk Foundation, said: “The Wye and Usk Foundation works with farmers and the wider supply chain to solve the problems afflicting our rivers. Many of the challenges we are trying to resolve are the legacy of historic poor planning decisions, such as when the planners have insisted the units be located too close to watercourses. In some cases, the solutions are not obvious and require careful consideration along with guidance from regulators. Noble has been actively engaged in helping to find and fund solutions on the farms that supply them, and their support is driving the progress that is being made to resolve the issues.”

River Action is taking a judicial review against the Environment Agency over allegations it had failed to protect the River Wye from agricultural pollution. It is claimed the agency has failed to prevent the spreading of excess organic manure or properly apply the rules.

Ricardo Gama, a solicitor at Leigh Day, which is representing River Action in the judicial review due to be heard next month at the high court in Cardiff, said: “River Action’s ultimate goal is that the agency takes a strong hand and actually starts enforcing these rules.”

An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “We recognise the River Wye is under pressure, which is why we are already offering a wide range of support to farmers around the river to speed up their transition to more sustainable practices. We work closely with groups like the Wye and Usk Foundation, who provide advice to farmers.

“In the Wye catchment, we carried out 493 farm inspections and issued 285 improvement actions from 1 April to 31 December 2023. These inspections targeted high-priority catchments such as protected habitats, and those where intelligence indicated rule breaches and pollution.”

A spokesperson for Noble Foods said: “Over the last three years [we] have been working hard with our producer base in the Wye and Usk region. We are supplied by family-run farms in the region, which represent less than 5% of the total poultry flock in the area. We are encouraging our producers to embrace nature-based solutions, such as wetland pools, as part of our work with the Wye & Usk Foundation.”

Gary Ford, chief executive of British Egg Industry Council (BEIC), said: “BEIC is committed to complying with legal requirements and ensuring that egg production does not adversely impact the local environmental infrastructure.

“BEIC is funding a number of independent research projects in this subject area. The initial evidence suggests that the impact of free-range farming is likely to have a minimal, if any, direct effect on the increased phosphate levels in the Rivers Wye and Usk.”

Rhian Jardine, head of development planning at Natural Resources Wales, said: “[Welsh Water] has published data which indicates that rural land use is contributing to 72% of phosphorus loading of the upper Wye. We will use all the resources at our disposal to prevent pollution. We also recognise that we can’t reach lasting solutions alone. Everyone has a role to play.”

A plan is afoot for opposition parties to work together.

This will cause “a flutter in the dovecote” – Owl

Devon Live www.devonlive.com

With a General Election looking likely in 2024, political parties in South Devon are planning to work together to unseat Totnes MP Anthony Mangnall. The South Devon Primary group aims to choose one candidate between them at the next general election.

The group includes key members from the Liberal Democrats, Labour and Green Parties. They expect to stage sessions in town halls across the constituency for the public to ask questions of the three progressive candidates and vote for whomever they think is best placed to win the seat.

They will be asking voters to unite behind this single candidate when the general election is called and for the losing opposition parties to refrain from campaigning. They say it is the best way to unite any ‘anti-Conservative’ vote.

But it raises questions. In a leader column in our sister print title the Herald Express, the editor asks what would happen if a minority party candidate, such as a Green, were to be voted the people’s champion.

Read the full column below

A campaign group which seemingly has a dual purpose – one to unify opposition voters, the other to boot the Conservatives out of Totnes – is forging ahead in its quest by organising a series of town hall meetings across South Devon.

The group, South Devon Primary, says after these seven town halls, where members of the public will be able to quiz selected opposition candidates and then vote at each location on who they think fared best, a combined tally of all the votes cast will produce a ‘people’s champion’.

It then asks all opposition voters to unite behind this single candidate when the General Election is called and for the losing opposition parties to refrain from campaigning, although their candidates will remain on the ballot paper.

It says only by uniting the fragmented opposition vote can the Conservatives, who have held the new South Devon (formerly Totnes) seat for nearly a century, be ousted.

It says recent Lib Dem and Labour by-election victories were a result of this approach.

But it does raise questions.

What if a minority party candidate, a Green, is voted the people’s champion?

Would the Lib Dems or Labour be prepared to give up on South Devon, the former particularly could have a realistic chance of winning without any help, to support a fringe party candidate?

And would enough voters be willing to cross political tribal lines to support a candidate representing a party they might not have any faith in on the national stage?

This challenge to the political status quo asks a lot of voters – and political parties, too.

It is also worrying that only the Lib Dems, Labour and Green candidates will be invited to pitch to the public as South Devon Primary says it is ideologically opposed to the Reform Party’s principles.

That’s as may be but surely that’s a matter for voters to decide? After all, democracy is principally about unfettered choice, not stacking the decks.

Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see how well-subscribed the town hall meetings are as we monitor this experiment to engage voters and force political change.

Zoom meeting between South West Water and the residents of Exmouth reported nationally.

Alex Ross www.independent.co.uk

The chief executive of an embattled water company has apologised to customers after it transported millions of litres of raw sewage through a coastal town in tankers before disposing of it at an overflowing pumping station.

Up to 250 journeys were made every day by tanks moving sewage through Exmouth (Escape)

South West Water (SWW) is facing the anger of residents of Exmouth, east Devon, who say the company’s “deplorable” actions led to the overspilling of more raw sewage into the sea just a short distance from the town’s popular sandy beach.

The situation in the seaside resort triggered an investigation by the Environment Agency, which also warned swimmers not to go into the sea until 8 January.

Geoff Crawford, the founder of End Sewage Convoys and Pollution Exmouth (Escape), said the water company had put its financial interests ahead of the environment, and had left the town “on edge” over sewage pollution.

He added: “People weren’t aware of the problem, but then the convoy of tankers moving raw sewage through the town really brought it home, then there was the notification of overspilling into the sea and the closure of the beach.

“There is a general anxiety across the town. It’s clear sewage was sent to an overflowing pumping station and dumped into the sea.”

Susan Davy, chief executive of the company, told a special meeting with councillors and other angry locals on Thursday evening: “It’s my job to ensure we walk in the shoes of our customers, and for the residents in and around Exmouth we haven’t done that, and I’m sorry.

“That’s not to say that my team and I don’t care – we do. But it’s right that I take responsibility and accountability for South West Water’s actions. For disturbing the community and having an impact on the environment I’m truly sorry.”

Mains Burst what happened?

A South West Water map of the local area and tanker routes (South West Water)

One resident claimed there had been an unprecedented number of reports of people and dogs falling ill since the spills.

Dan Wilson, a town and district councillor, said after years of failure by South West Water, if he had been in charge, he would resign.

Asked whether she would stand down, Ms Davy said she was confident the company had the right team in place, after managers outlined plans for £38m of investment in infrastructure over the coming years.

SWW has already faced criticism for pollution during a drive by the government to cut the number of illegal spills. It was fined £2.15 million last year for issues across Devon and Cornwall.

Last week, John Halsall, chief operating officer of the firm, issued a “heartfelt apology” to residents in a video posted on the company’s website, but denied the company had “caused environmental impact” by sending sewage to an overflowing pumping station.

The issue began when flooding on 30 December forced the transportation of waste in tankers from a Phear Park Pumping Station to Maer Road Pumping Station.

The lorries had previously been taking the waste to Maer Lane Sewage Treatment Works due to a burst in a pipe linking the sites.

But the flooding, plus a promise not to send tankers through a village, led to the decision to use Maer Road Pumping Station as the destination for up to 240 sewage-filled vehicle journeys a day.

Only after a “brief period of time”, according to Mr Halsall, said to be four days, did the company redirect the lorries back to the treatment works.

Mr Halsall said: “In the end we had to say, and apologise to local [village] residents and say we’ve got no choice, we just need to tanker through the village and that’s what happened.”

But for the campaigners in Exmouth, that decision came too late after, they say, more sewage was added to the overflow coming from Maer Road Pumping Station into the sea.

Mr Halsall told the meeting he offered a sincere apology for the disruption. “I know exactly what it feels like – I’ve seen the tankers and the mess.

“When the rising main burst, it was pouring with rain and we were up against it. I’m genuinely sorry for the tankering and the first burst.”

He said pollution from the first burst did affect beaches but it was less clear whether the second one caused material pollution, saying the company had chosen “the least worst” option.

Asked whether in hindsight the decision was wrong, he said he was not sure they would do anything differently.

There were no visible indicators the main was vulnerable to bursting or required replacement, he said.

At the start of January, the Environment Agency told the BBC that SWW informed it “that for operational reasons they were having to tanker waste to another pumping station that was already overflowing”.

In a statement to The Independent, a spokesperson said: “South West Water has now resolved the issue and their pumping station is back in operation. We take all pollution incidents extremely seriously and are currently investigating this case.”

Mr Crawford, who swims in the sea of Exmouth to help with anxiety, said data published online by SWW showed waste overflowed from Maer Road Pumping Station for several days during the tanker deliveries. The current reading shows the last overflow was for 10 minutes on 5 January.

He said: “We are trying to capitalise on this to push SWW to make the necessary improvements to its network to ensure this never happens again.”

In the video message, Mr Halsall said the use of tankers was to reduce the environmental impact caused by the burst pipe.

He added: “On no occasion have we created additional environmental impact as a result of the tankering.

“Now, in the spirit of transparency, have the bursts caused environmental impact? Unfortunately, yes they have… as soon as we started tanking the environmental impact stopped.”

An SWW spokesperson told The Independent that an installed temporary pipe meant tankers were no longer needed to move sewage across the town.

They added: “We would like to again thank local residents for their continued patience whilst the works are taking place and we are sorry for any inconvenience this has caused.”

Just under a year ago, in February 2023, Simon Jupp announced he was abandoning 78% of his current constituents as he jumped ship to become the Tory candidate for the new seat of Honiton and Sidmouth.

By June he was “on manoeuvres” on Richard Foord’s turf, trying to gain “face recognition”.  

As Claire Wright wrote on “X” : After months of claiming credit for @RichardFoordLD work, Simon Jupp lodges actual formal complaint against Richard for raising in Parliament, the tragic case of #Ottery victim of the #HorizonScandal . 

This prompted a number of comments including: “The absolute shameless politicising here is by @simonjamesjupp who has done sod all for Ottery or East Devon whilst openly campaigning in his new target seat. How many times did he raise Horizon before the TV programme made it an issue? #ToriesBrokeBritain”

Row after accused Devon subpostmaster’s death raised in Parliament

Lewis Clarke www.devonlive.com 

Two rival MPs clashed over the case of a former Ottery St Mary resident who died before being cleared of false accusations in the Horizon scandal.

The Horizon scandal refers to the faulty IT system used by the Post Office, which wrongly showed shortfalls in the accounts of thousands of subpostmasters, leading to some being prosecuted, sacked, or bankrupted.

Richard Foord, the Liberal Democrat MP for Tiverton & Honiton, who has announced he will be standing as the candidate for the newly formed Honiton & Sidmouth seat in the next general election, raised the issue during a question session to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Kevin Hollinrake.

Mr Foord said: “Russell Ward-Best from Ottery St Mary was accused of stealing £17,000. He avoided prosecution by resigning, and another sub-postmaster I represent paid the alleged shortfall to avoid prosecution. Russell Ward-Best was declared bankrupt and died before he was found innocent and cleared. Will the Minister comment on financial redress for all sub-postmasters and their families, including those who were not prosecuted?”

Mr Hollinrake expressed his sympathy for Mr Ward-Best and his family, and said they should be able to get compensation through the historic shortfall scheme, which is designed to reimburse subpostmasters who suffered losses due to the Horizon system.

He said: “That scheme is there to put Mr Ward-Best, if he were still with us, back to where he would have been had this detriment not occurred, and that can take into account things such as bankruptcy. That money would then be paid to his estate, which would then flow through to his family. The same compensation is available, despite Mr Ward-Best very sadly no longer being with us.”

However, the exchange sparked a furious reaction from Simon Jupp, the Conservative MP for East Devon, who is also vying for the Honiton & Sidmouth seat. He accused Mr Foord of politicising the death of Mr Ward-Best, and said he hoped he had informed the family beforehand to avoid further hurt.

He took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to write: “Earlier in Parliament, Richard Foord shamefully tried to politicise the death of a former Ottery resident in a question regarding the Horizon scandal. I hope he had the courtesy to inform the family beforehand to avoid further hurt. I’m making a formal complaint to the Speaker.

“Richard is not the MP for Ottery St Mary, but is launching his campaign there. I understand you may not know this, given you are quite far away, but nothing excuses this shameless politicising from a sitting MP from your party.”

This is not the first time the two sitting MPs have exchanged fiery words. In December, Mr Foord referred to Mr Jupp as ‘member for Exmouth ’ in a debate, to which Mr Jupp demanded an apology, saying: “He referred to me as the MP for Exmouth, but my constituency also includes Sidmouth and I should be referred to as the MP for East Devon. He has done this politically in local newspapers and leaflets.

“I seek an apology for my constituency being named incorrectly, and a promise from the hon. Gentleman that he will not do so again.”

Mr Foord did not respond to Mr Jupp’s request.

Jeremy Hunt was unable to tell Martin Lewis whether the public should save or spend money to help the economy.

Holly Patrick www.independent.co.uk

The chancellor was grilled by the MoneySavingExpert founder on his eponymous ITV show broadcast on Tuesday (9 January).

Mr Lewis pressed Mr Hunt on whether a “good citizen” should spend money to boost the economy or save to keep inflation down.

“I pride myself on always giving people direct answers to questions, but I’m not going to answer that one… that is very, very individual,” Mr Hunt responded.

Britain’s Taylor Wimpey (LON:) on Thursday said the housing market remained uncertain in the near term, reflecting a cautious stance ahead of the key spring selling season.

uk.investing.com 

Britain’s housing sector is hoping to see some relief as mortgage rates appear to have peaked with markets betting on Bank of England rate cuts later this year, but wider economic challenges have dented hopes of a robust recovery.

Taylor Wimpey joined mid-cap rival Persimmon (LON:) in underscoring challenging trading conditions in 2024 despite signs of the housing market slowdown easing and refrained from providing any forecast on 2024 profits and build targets.

“Looking ahead, it is encouraging to see a reduction in mortgage rates, however, in the short term, the market remains uncertain and the planning backdrop extremely challenging,” CEO Jennie Daly said in a trading statement.

Shares in the company fell 0.5% in morning trade.

The company reiterated its 2023 operating profit expectations for the year ending Dec. 31 2023.

Taylor-Wimpey said its year-end order book, a key measure in gauging short-term sales performance, excluding joint ventures stood at 1.77 billion pounds ($2.3 billion), compared with 1.94 billion pounds a year earlier.

Analysts at Hargreaves Lansdown (LON:) said in a note that the message from Taylor Wimpey and Persimmon was that the market remained tough: “Like so much else these days, an awful lot is hanging on the future path of interest rates”.

Taylor Wimpey, which also has a minor presence in Spain, said it built 10,438 homes in Britain, including joint ventures, in 2023, within its target range.

The group’s finance director Chris Carney told analysts on a call that the company expects the first-half average selling price to be similar to the 320,000 pounds average reported a year ago.

The company expects underlying build cost inflation of about 4% on completions in the first half of 2024.

On ITV’s ‘Peston’ the two clashed over the Government’s response to the Post Office scandal

Ian Hislop is one of life’s good guys. As the long-serving editor of Private Eye, he has been relentless in his commitment to uncovering the truth about the Post Office scandal. This deserves real recognition.

Jordan Tyldesley inews.co.uk 

The Post Office scandal shows that journalists like Hislop are vital in an environment where powerful people think they can ride roughshod over the Alan Bateses of this world – decent people thrust into the spotlight and forced to fight against a powerful establishment that will crush anything or anyone when necessary. Under his editorship, Private Eye pursued the biggest miscarriage of justice in modern British history for more than a decade.

Compare that, if you will, to Tory MP Sir Jake Berry who recently used his social media platform to ask the public an utterly inane question about the strategic timing of supermarkets stocking Easter eggs.

Last night on ITV’s Peston the two clashed over the Government’s response to the scandal. Hislop raised an important question: why did it take an ITV drama to spur politicians into action?

After Hislop made the argument that executives involved in the Post Office during its time of complete and utter failure should have to pay their bonuses back, Berry proudly asserted: “One thing we do control is their massive taxpayer-funded pensions. We do have control of that and we can pass an emergency piece of legislation – a parliamentary pardon – why can’t we do the same thing with their pensions?” Bish, bash, bosh.

Hislop exasperatedly replied: “Well, why couldn’t you do it so long ago? The fact that it takes an ITV drama and suddenly [the sub-postmasters and mistresses], having been told their entire campaigning lives, ‘this is very difficult … you’ll have to go in front of a judge… this is very, very expensive … oh, this morning it isn’t, tomorrow we’ll pass legislation and you’re all exonerated.’ I mean it is absolutely fatuous.”

It is frightening that good, honest, innocent citizens can be dragged to Hell and back by our institutions and yet elected representatives, on the whole, only spring into action when it becomes politically embarrassing. What, then, if ITV hadn’t made this drama? Must we all rely on Toby Jones for justice? The delayed response to this unfathomable wickedness is not just shameful but chilling.

Another crucial question from Hislop was: “Why did you give [Paula Vennells] a CBE in 2019?” It is bewildering how someone can oversee such cruelty on an industrial scale and then be bestowed our nation’s supposedly finest honour. We need more Hislop’s in the media and beyond. People who are willing to upset the status quo. A willingness to challenge authority and ask the questions that really matter.

Let the Post Office scandal be a watershed moment in Britain: we’re mad as hell and we’re not going to take this any more.

[Video clip below, you may need to unmute and rewind]

How many times have Alison Hernandez and Simon Jupp announced their personal involvement in securing a “new” police station for Exmouth?

No explanation was ever given as to why the plans were withdrawn last August (Now you see it, now you don’t). 

Despite the hype it’s now pretty clear that Exmouth will not have a new police station before the election. If the election is in the autumn, it might not even have planning permission.

Now Alison Hernandez is trying to change the narrative by blaming EDDC for following the law protecting bats for the latest delay.

[Owl does not take kindly to flippant remarks about bats, who are one of Owl’s favourite creatures, nor to suggestions that Police and Crime Commissioners might consider the law a nuisance.]

Philippa Davies www.exmouthjournal.co.uk 

The plans for Exmouth’s new £5million police station have suffered a setback because bats – a protected species – may be present at the site.

A planning application for the new building was submitted to East Devon District Council in December 2023 by the office of Devon and Cornwall’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Alison Hernandez.

But after evidence emerged that bats may be roosting in gaps in the cladding on the existing building, the council’s planning officers said a further survey is needed before they can officially register the application.

This survey would have to take place during the bats’ summer roosting season, which is May to  September.

On Monday (January 9) Ms Hernandez posted on X (formerly Twitter) to say:

“Bats stall my office’s planning application for the new #Exmouth Police Station. I have to wait until roosting season May-Sept to carry out a survey before East Devon District Council will even register the planning application. It’s driving me batty! Can’t blame the bats though.”

She later posted again to ‘bat’ off accusations that she was planning to break the rules on bat conservation in order to push the project forward, clarifying that she ‘was making a joke about being batty and didn’t want bat lovers to think I was against bats!’

In a media statement she said: “I am disappointed for the people of Exmouth, and Devon and Cornwall Police’s hard-working officers, staff and volunteers, who have to wait longer to get the police station and Police Enquiry Office which they deserve.

“Devon and Cornwall are full of wonderful nature and that is part of life here. We will, of course, ensure that all appropriate steps are taken to look after any bats and other wildlife found on the site, but Exmouth sees a huge rise in visitor numbers in the summer months and I look forward to a time when we and our force are focussed on our core business of supporting victims rather than surveying bats.”

It is “plain stupid” for the government to require more houses to be built in East Devon when the sewage system has “already failed”.

Will Goddard www.exmouthjournal.co.uk 

That’s the belief of councillor Geoff Jung after recent sewage pipe bursts in Exmouth, which have led to tankers being used to transport waste through the town and the Environment Agency advising against swimming in the sea.

Cllr Jung (Lib Dem, Woodbury and Lympstone) told the district council’s strategic planning committee this week that these incidents “clearly demonstrate systematic ongoing failures both from South West Water and the Environment Agency”.

He said: “In Exmouth since December 11, the water firm has been dealing with various major pipe bursts in the town, which has led to untreated sewage being taken from Phear Park by a convoy of trucks to Maer Road’s sewage pumping station and only in the last few days directly to Maer Lane sewage works.

“Failures have occurred predominantly between the pumping station in Phear Park and Maer Lane sewage works, where a temporary overground bypass has been hastily constructed but only yesterday operational.

“It is clear from what we see locally that despite assurances, the increasing sewage capacity together with the increased surface water from climate change events show that the present sewage infrastructure is failing.”

He continued: “By [the government] forcing us to build more housing we are actually increasing the number of connections, thus increasing capacity to an already failed system. That’s plain stupid.”

Cllr Brian Bailey (Conservative, Exmouth Littleham) went further, calling for an embargo on allowing new homes to be built in certain areas.

He said: “[South West Water] are strangers to the truth and what they say to us. I think that’s the politest way of putting it.

“I would like to propose that we have a building embargo, and we can do it. We’re the authority.

“No more building in and around Exmouth or Woodbury or Lympstone or Topsham because the sewage system is not up to it. Otherwise, we’re going to let more and more houses in and it’s going to get worse.”

A spokesperson for South West Water said: “We would like to thank local residents for their continued patience whilst essential repair works in Exmouth are carried out and we are sorry for any inconvenience this has caused.

“We have successfully finished installing the temporary pipe which will divert flows around the damaged section of sewer, so we can now turn our attention to making a full repair. This progress means we no longer need to use tankers.”

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: “We take all pollution incidents extremely seriously and we are currently investigating the burst pipe that was initially reported to the Environment Agency on December 30, 2023. South West Water has now resolved the issue and their pumping station is back in operation.

“In response to the pollution, we issued advice against bathing via our Swimfo webpage and through social media and informed East Devon District Council. During the incident, we worked closely with the water company to minimise the impact on the environment.

“We are continuing to investigate and will consider taking appropriate enforcement action when we have all the information required. The Environment Agency is urging SWW to deliver on its promised investment in Exmouth to reduce sewage spills.”

From a Budleigh correspondent:

Dawn yesterday revealed a trawler (or scalloper) beached on the high tide line on Budleigh beach roughly under the West Down Beacon.

Unconfirmed reports indicate that it had been anchored in the bay and drifted ashore during the night. Sea conditions were calm with a gentle easterly swell. 

There are no reports of casualties amongst the crew of three, indeed it has been suggested that they went into town for breakfast.

During the day a tug arrived and a second one around 6.00pm.

The trawler was successfully pulled off the beach on the evening high tide and towed away.

(The photo also shows the remains of recent cliff falls. Sidmouth is not unique in experiencing these.)

A group of MPs from the South West have voiced their concerns about the lack of access to NHS dentistry in their constituencies, and urged the Government to take action.

[Including Ben Bradshaw and Richard Foord]

Lewis Clarke www.devonlive.com

The debate, which took place on Tuesday, January 9, was led by Wes Streeting, Labour MP for Ilford North, who said that NHS dentistry was in a “crisis” and that many people were resorting to “DIY dentistry” or attending A&E for urgent care.

He said: “This House recognises that NHS dentistry is in crisis. Eight in ten dentists in England not taking on new NHS patients and vast parts of the country considered so-called dental deserts, where no dentists are available; regrets that this has led to people resorting to DIY dentistry or attending A&E to access urgent care; is concerned that tooth decay is the most common reason children aged six to 10 are admitted to hospital; and therefore calls on the Government to provide an extra 700,000 urgent appointments a year, introduce an incentive scheme to recruit new dentists to the areas most in need and a targeted supervised toothbrushing scheme for three to five year-olds to promote good oral health and reform the dental contract to rebuild the service in the long-run.”

He added: “Tooth decay is now the number one reason why children aged six to 10 end up in hospital. We face the moral outrage of one in 10 Brits saying that they have been forced to attempt dentistry themselves because the NHS was not there for them when they needed it. This is Dickensian—DIY dentistry in 21st-century Britain. Is there any greater example of the decline that this country has been subjected to under the Conservatives?”

The debate was attended by MPs from different parties and regions, who shared their experiences and views on the state of NHS dentistry in their areas.

Ben Bradshaw, Labour MP for Exeter, said: “NHS dentists are performing only 75% of the procedures they are contracted to do? In Devon and Somerset, where the situation is the worst in the country, it is only 26.5% and 30%. Not only have this Government delivered an NHS desert in Devon and Somerset, but they are wasting masses of public money.”

Derek Thomas, Conservative MP for St Ives, said: “The Secretary of State’s predecessor said it was a priority to increase the number of dentists in specific parts of the country, and mentioned the south-west in particular. We are seeing some early green shoots appear. None the less, people in the south-west and Cornwall are struggling to get access to a dentist. I still receive weekly emails from constituents who are not getting the treatment that they need, or who are spending their time and money travelling to NHS practices in Manchester or London, or even abroad, to pay for private care. I have witnessed dental practices giving up NHS contracts, or vastly reducing NHS treatment, forcing some people to fully fund their own care and others, who cannot afford that, to go without treatment. I have raised this issue with the Health Secretary in the Chamber quite recently.”

He continued: “When I spoke to people in dental practices, they said they were as frustrated as I am. They have a contract with the NHS to provide thousands of units of dental activity, but the funding allocation is clawed back by the NHS if they cannot deliver those units. They cannot deliver the units, as we have heard already, because the value is too low to attract the staff that they need. Last year, a practice that I was working with paid more than £132,000 in clawbacks to our integrated care board. That is enough funding to treat 1,600 patients.”

Anthony Magnall, Conservative MP for Totnes, spoke about what was happening in Devon. He said: “We have 17,000 more UDAs, which is welcome. We have a dental care stabilisation system. We have 406 extra appointments per week, which can be found through contacting 111. We have one of the finest dental training schools in the form of the Peninsula Dental School, located just outside Plymouth. It is working to help address the need and to support the Government in helping areas across the country. It is looking to help ensure that its trainees remain within the area after their training, to make the NHS as flexible as possible to the needs of those who need to use it.”

He added: “We must have reform. Many of us on the Conservative Back Benches agree that we must have the reforms that have been promised before, because they are the hook that we can hang our hat on, and they will be the solution. If the Minister could look at the short-term solutions I have proposed and give a response, that would be welcome not just in my part of the country, but all across the country.”

Selaine Saxby, Conservative MP for North Devon, spoke of a constituent who was told they had to go to Exeter to get an appointment.

She said: “Exeter, which is the nearest city to my constituency, is over 50 miles away for most North Devon residents. Even private practices in North Devon are unable to take on the volume of patients in some parts of my constituency. I have parents writing weekly to ask what to do when their appointments are cancelled because dentists are handing back their NHS contracts. And because residents in North Devon are unable to get check-ups, by the time they are seen they have extensive dental needs costing hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds. Calling us a dental desert is no help at all. Given the structure of dentistry, dentists are not going to want to deal with the oral backlog each unseen mouth potentially holds.”

She continued: “I welcome the new dentistry Minister to her role, and thank her for her immediate engagement on this issue. I very much hope that her experience will ensure that the Government’s plan to further recover and reform NHS dentistry is expedited because, frankly, the good people of North Devon have waited long enough to see a dentist.”

Richard Foord, MP for Tiverton & Honiton, said: “A 75-year-old and his wife who live in Tiverton told me that they were contacted by their dentist, who said that they were not seeing NHS patients any more. They called a further 20 dental practices and were told by several receptionists that no NHS appointments were available in Devon at all.”

The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Victoria Atkins, responded to the debate and said that she was determined to fix the issues and the disparities in NHS dentistry. She said: “We are reforming our NHS and social care system to make it faster, simpler and fairer. Dentistry is a vital part of our NHS and improving dentistry is one of my top priorities. The hon. Member for Ilford North (Wes Streeting) represents a deeply urban seat, so I am pleased that he has presented me with an excuse to boast about the fact that I represent, and am very proud to represent, a rural and coastal constituency. That is why fairness is one of my three priorities for our NHS. I know the challenges that rural and coastal communities face when it comes to accessing an NHS dentist appointment, and the disparities in health that we see between rural and coastal communities and city centres. I will come to some statistics in a moment.”

She continued: “I am determined to fix these issues, and the other problems facing NHS dentistry, so that anyone who needs to can always see an NHS dentist, no matter where they live. Indeed, one of my very first acts as Secretary of State was to respond to the Health and Social Care Committee’s recommendations on dentistry. We agreed to the majority of those recommendations, and we stand firmly behind the ambition that NHS dentistry should be accessible and available to all who need it.”

She acknowledged that the pandemic had placed a heavy burden on NHS dentistry and said: “The whole House understands that the pandemic placed a long-lasting and heavy burden on NHS dentistry.”

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Dame Andrea Leadsom, said that the Government was working on both short-term and long-term solutions for the recovery and reform of NHS dentistry. She said: “I want to set out some of the recovery that is already under way—not enough by any means, but good progress, and not the failure that Labour wants to portray it as. It is a good recovery from a disastrous situation during coronavirus >covid. In 2022-23, 6.1 million more courses of treatment have been delivered than in 2021-22, and seven out of 10 patients have had a good overall experience of dental services, according to surveys. More than 18 million adults were seen by an NHS dentist in the 24 months to June 2023, which was an increase of 10% on the previous year. Some 6.4 million children were seen by an NHS dentist in the 12 months up to 30 June, which was an increase of 800,000 compared with the previous year. Nearly 1,400 more NHS dentists were available in 2022-23 than in 2010-11.”

She added: “Of course, in our long-term workforce plan we announced a 40% increase to dentistry training places—that is incredibly important. I pay tribute to all our NHS staff, who continue to work tirelessly to deliver vital dental care to those who need it the most. Dental staff deserve our support, which is why we are working flat out on both short and long-term solutions for the recovery and reform of NHS dentistry.”

She said that money alone would not solve the backlog and the access issues and said: “we are investing £3 billion a year in dentistry, and we need to ensure that every penny is spent properly and delivers the best results. However, the honest truth is that to recover from covid, during which hardly anyone saw a dentist, whether private or NHS, money will not be the silver bullet—a quick funding fix cannot solve all of the backlog and deliver on our ambition that everyone who needs an NHS dentist should be able to access one. As such, we are working on both short-term recovery and long-term system reform, supported by the profession. We will be fixing some of the fundamental flaws in patient access and health inequalities that have been highlighted and exacerbated by the pandemic, many of which have been raised in the Chamber today. We have made good progress on dentistry, particularly through the 2022 reforms, and can be proud of the improvements achieved to date. Again, I sincerely thank all dental staff for their hard work and commitment to recovery.”

She said that she was eager to reveal more about the dentistry recovery plan and said: “Finally, having been on the receiving end of ‘in due course’ for many years myself, colleagues will realise that I am chomping at the bit to reveal more about our dentistry recovery plan. I need to ask them all to be patient just a little while longer, but I will change the line about when to expect it from ‘shortly’ to ‘very shortly’.”

[This vote was pulled because of the emergency debate on the Post Office Horizon scandal. It is likely to be rescheduled in a couple of weeks time]

This week, Parliament is voting on the Conservative Government’s new push to expand oil and gas extraction from the North Sea.

Richard Foord, MP for Tiverton & Honiton www.midweekherald.co.uk

This is a retrograde step, which has been attacked by experts, but also by several of the more sensible Tory MPs. We have already seen former COP26 President Alok Sharma come out against the move, and environmental heavyweight Chris Skidmore has triggered a by-election in protest at the plans.

It is incompatible to talk about tackling climate change, while also moving to issue new oil and gas licences every year. It would do nothing at all to reduce energy prices here in the UK, because 80 per cent of the oil and gas extracted would be sold overseas.

It would do nothing at all to increase the UK’s energy security, because we would not import any less oil and gas from overseas. All it would mean is that super-rich oil and gas giants get to drill for more polluting fossil fuels and sell them around the world. For example, Russian energy giant Gazprom made £39m from extracting gas in the North Sea last year – including in UK waters – and returned some of the profits to fund Russia’s barbaric war in Ukraine.

This is the exact opposite of what we need to be doing. Climate change presents a threat, but also an opportunity – an opportunity to pioneer the economy of the future. Investing in renewables not only produces more homegrown, cleaner, cheaper energy. It also creates a new wave of well-paid jobs that will last for decades and will support British innovation. You need look no further than renewable energy research at the University of Exeter to see that great British ideas exist – if only the Government would get behind them.

Back in 1911, the young Winston Churchill became First Lord of the Admiralty in a Liberal Government. Churchill took the fateful decision to shift the Royal Navy away from coal-powered ships. He embraced new oil-powered vessels, despite coal being plentiful here at home, whilst oil had to be imported. But Churchill didn’t see this as negative; he embraced innovation and new technology, rather than clinging on to the old. The equivalent today is seeking to lead the race to renewables, rather than clinging on in fear to the fuel of the last century.

I will be voting against this reckless Bill. Conservative Party managers need to stop seeking to appeal to the climate change sceptics on their benches and take the serious, long-term decisions that will prepare the UK to embrace the future – just as this great country has done in the past. I hope MPs from all parties will do the right thing for our planet, our children and our grandchildren.

Still featuring in the National News. – Owl

Swimmers say they feel “frustrated” and “anxious” after being warned to avoid their local beach following an incident that saw up to 240 tankers of sewage per day being dumped at an overflowing pumping station nearby.

Lucie Heath, David Parsley inews.co.uk

One swimming group said there had been a notable decline in the number of people attending its weekly sessions, as locals fear that millions of litres of raw sewage may have been pumped into the water at the popular Devon beach resort.

Water companies are permitted to spill sewage into beaches, lakes and rivers during times of exceptional rainfall to prevent their pipe networks from becoming overwhelmed and sewage backing up into peoples homes.

But locals in Exmouth say that they are being forced to contend with this issue more than most, as South West Water regularly transports sewage from other parts of Devon to the town.

The issue has come to a head over the past few weeks after two major pipe bursts resulted in even more sewage being dumped in the seaside town.

On Friday i revealed that up to 240 tankers per day of sewage had been transported to a pumping station in town, with some of the waste overflowing into the sea.

South West Water publishes real-time data showing when sewage is spilling from one of its pumping stations. The data show waste has overflowed from its infrastructure in Exmouth for several days at a time since New Year.

On Saturday, the Environment Agency warned bathers against going into the sea at Exmouth due to sewage pollution. The warning remained in place until Monday.

Sewage has overflowed from hundreds of points in Britain’s network over the past week as Storm Henk brought heavy rainfall, but locals fear the situation in Exmouth has worsened due to the amount of waste being transported to the town.

Nicola Birtchnell, who started a weekly women’s swim group during the pandemic, said many of the group’s members have been avoiding the sea since the New Year.

“We’ve definitely had a reduced turnout of members coming to swim. So when we may have had maybe 40 at this time of year, we’ve only had 10,” she said.

Ms Birtchnell said there have not been reports of anyone getting sick after going into the water, but said many of the women are still “more apprehensive understandably”.

“It’s a big shame, especially, as it’s something that a lot of women look forward to every Sunday,” she said.

“It’s really sad. It should be something really lovely to do. It’s a great beach and people aren’t experiencing the health benefits which they could be doing,” she said.

One member of the swimming group, Mary Culhane, told i she has avoided swimming for the past two weeks because of the sewage spills.

She started swimming during the pandemic for “mental health” reasons, but said the “anxiety” of getting ill while in the water “negates the effect of doing it”.

“I feel really frustrated. I’m thinking I’m paying South West Water to keep my water clean and to treat the effluent properly,” she said.

While some swimmers have avoided the water, campaigners have raised concerns that not enough is being done to make locals aware of the sewage pollution.

South West Water publishes real-time information on its website that shows when beaches are impacted by sewage spills and the Environment Agency also published its warning on its website and on social media.

But locals say signs should be put up at the beach to warn locals of the risk.

“When the Environment Agency were notified, what did they do about telling people?” said local campaigner Andy Tyerman.

“I went down to the beach yesterday and talked to a few dog walkers and people who were on the beach. Very few were aware of it, if any, and most didn’t realise the water was unsafe.”

The Surfers Against Sewage website, which tracks sewage discharge and pollution risks, is also recommending that people don’t swim at Exmouth and Budleigh Salterton beaches in east Devon.

Several local dog owners have reported their pets getting seriously ill since the incident.

South West Water said it was the responsibility of beach managers to put up signage.

A spokesperson for the firm said they are no longer using tankers to transport waste from the burst sewer.

They said: “We would like to again thank local residents for their continued patience whilst the works are taking place and we are sorry for an inconvenience this has caused.”

If Pennon can find the millions to buy one of the most heavily indebted water companies then surely they don’t need to turn to SWW consumers to foot the catch-up costs of bringing our local sewage infrastructure up to date. – Owl  

[The Guardian reports this story under the headline: Owner of firm fined for sewage dumping buys Sutton and East Surrey Water]

Sutton and East Surrey Water, the privatised supplier to some of the wealthiest addresses in England, has been bailed out by Pennon, the owner of South West Water.

Robert Lea www.thetimes.co.uk

One of the most financially distressed water companies in the country, Sutton and East Surrey Water (SES) has been on an “at-risk” regulatory watchlist and has in recent months been forced to tap its Japanese owners for a cash injection.

Pennon, a FTSE 250 company, is raising £180 million from investors to help fund the takeover, valuing SES at £380 million. Sumitomo Corporation and Osaka Gas, SES’s owners, are to receive £89 million for their shares and the rest of Pennon’s money will go to reducing SES’s spiralling debts.

SES is one of the most heavily indebted of all England’s water companies, leveraged at more than 80 per cent of its asset base with net borrowings of £291 million on a regulatory capital value of £351 million. Ofwat, the regulator, says that water companies should not be leveraged at more than 65 per cent of their net assets.

The company is a peculiar hangover from water privatisation, in which it only supplies water to its stockbroker belt customers of 750,000 homes and businesses, from Sutton in the north to Gatwick in the south and from Cobham in the west along the M25 through Dorking and Reigate to Caterham and as far as Edenbridge in Kent. Households in the region have their sewage and wastewater looked after mainly by Thames Water.

Last year the company lost £31 million and announced it was going through a “strategic review” and attempting to find a buyer.

Despite demands from Ofwat that financially strapped water companies stop paying dividends, SES paid out more than £8 million last year. In the regulator’s latest report on the finances of the country’s water companies, SES was bracketed with the neighbouring troubled water giants Thames Water and Southern Water as among the least financially resilient.

Ofwat said of SES: “High inflation and operational issues have continued to put pressure on its reported financial metrics, with the company recognising further funding will be required to support its capital programme … and to strengthen financial resilience.”

S&P, the rating agency, recently gave SES a lowly credit rating of BBB (negative outlook), saying its “credit metrics were substantially below our expectations, largely owing to accretion on the company’s inflation-linked debt and a deterioration of operating margins”.

Sumitomo and Osaka Gas committed themselves last year to injecting £22 million into SES before the end of this financial year in March. It is understood that £14 million of that had already been pumped in and that is included within Pennon’s £89 million consideration.

The deal represents a poor return for the Japanese owners, who paid £164 million for the company in 2013, though they would have already recovered some of that money through past dividends.

SES has been led since 2020 by Iain Cain, the chief executive who is a former managing director of retail water and customer services at Thames Water. Cain was paid £544,000 last year, including bonuses of £235,000. That is marginally more than Susan Davy, the chief executive of Pennon, who forewent a £450,000 bonus.

Though on a much smaller scale, water industry sources confirmed the rescue of SES should be seen in the context of the financial crises at Thames and Southern. The shareholders of Thames have committed to pumping in £3.75 billion by 2030 to turn around its finances while Southern was saved from administration through a £1.65 billion deal with the Australian finance house Macquarie.

Multiple dog owners have reported their pets becoming seriously ill after playing in the sea at a popular Devon beach, days after South West Water confirmed it had sent hundreds of tankers of sewage to an overflowing pumping station nearby.

liveapp.inews.co.uk 

On Friday i revealed that the water firm had been transporting up to 240 tankers full of sewage per day to a pumping station in Exmouth for several days around New Year’s Day.

According to locals, much of the waste that was being transported to the pumping station has ended up directly in the sea as they say the site does not have capacity to deal with the additional sewage.

During times of exceptional rainfall, water companies are allowed to discharge untreated sewage into bodies of water through points known as combined sewer overflows (CSOs) to prevent the system from becoming overwhelmed and sewage backing up in peoples’ homes.

Real-time data provided by South West Water showed that the Exmouth pumping station was already overflowing into the sea when the additional sewage was being transported to it.

Now several dog owners who spent time on the beach in the days leading up to January 1 say their pets have fallen ill after playing in the water, with some having to fork out more than £1,000 in vet bills.

South West Water said there are many reasons why people or animals can become sick by swimming in the sea, including agricultural run-off, animal faeces or simply swallowing too much seawater.

While the bathing water quality in Exmouth has been rated as “Excellent” by the Environment Agency, the water is not tested all year round. On Saturday, the agency warned swimmers not to enter the water due to pollution.

Edward Thomas, who walks his dog Rusty on the beach at Exmouth most days, told i his pet started “vomiting bile” on the night of 30 December.

“I’ve had loads of ill dogs throughout my life. This wasn’t an ordinary dog illness,” he said.

Mr Thomas was advised by his vet to take Rusty to the veterinary hospital in Exeter where he received an emergency injection of probiotics. The visit cost Mr Thomas £255.

“It’s without a shadow of a doubt from the beach. We didn’t take him anywhere else between Christmas and New Year. There is nowhere else he could have picked it up from,” he said.

Mr Thomas said his vet told him they had seen “a lot” of these incidents over the past week and that it was most likely the beach where Rusty had picked up his illness.

“It’s an absolute disgrace. Quite frankly it should be illegal for any water company to discharge untreated sewage into the sea,” he said.

Keith Hilton, who moved to Exmouth at the start of last month, also noticed his dog falling ill after spending time on the beach on December 31.

“On New Year’s Eve I took Alaska, who was until now a healthy six year old German Shepherd, for a walk on the beach near the Lifeboat Station,” he told i.

Mr Hilton said Alaska started showing signs of being ill a few days later and by Friday last week had “stopped eating and was having diarrhoea”.

He took Alaska to the vet and she was given an injection, which helped her over the weekend.

But she has fallen ill again this week and is currently being kept in by the vet as they run tests. He has spent £1,850 on vet bills to date.

Mr Hilton said he is “very concerned” about his dog and will never walk her on the beach again.

Several other locals have reported their dogs becoming ill after swimming in the sea over the festive period on a local Facebook group.

South West Water regularly transports sewage from other parts of Devon to a treatment centre in Exmouth.

However, on 30 December, the firm began temporarily dumping waste at a pumping station in the town, which does not treat the sewage, after a sewer burst in Exmouth.

The water company said flooding prevented it from taking the waste from the burst sewer to the treatment centre. But i has seen video evidence filmed at the same time the sewage was being transported that suggests the roads were clear.

South West Water is no longer transporting waste to the pumping station, but locals are still concerned about the amount of sewage being brought to the town’s treatment plant.

When the local sewage network is over capacity, sewage can end up being spillt directly into the sea. Data provided by South West Water shows sewage overflowed from one pumping station in the town for four days between 4 and 8 January this year.

On Saturday the Environment Agency issued a pollution alert warning bathers not to enter the sea at Exmouth due to sewage. The warning remained in place until Monday.

Mr Thomas said South West Water should have done more to make locals aware of the incident.

“There should be some way of them saying: ‘we’ve had to do it and these are the reasons why we’ve done it’. At least the public wouldn’t feel lied to and betrayed. It would then give the public the opportunity to avoid the beach or not let their dog swim in the water,” he said.

South West Water said it was the responsibility of beach managers to put up signage.

In an update on Tuesday, a spokesperson said the firm is no longer using tankers to transport waste from the burst sewer.

He said: “We understand that this is an important and sensitive matter for residents in and around Exmouth. As part of our ongoing programme of work under WaterFit, we are investing £38m in Exmouth up to 2030 to help make the improvements we all want to see.”

Increased sewage pollution, urban flooding and water supply interruptions are the result of a decade of failures by the Conservative ministers, according to water experts who are demanding an independent inquiry into water be set up by the next government.

Sandra Laville www.theguardian.com 

The repeated failure of the Tories to implement rules to create “sponge cities” has led to much more visible sewage pollution, more flooding and increasing instances of water being cut off for householders and businesses, they say.

Alastair Chisholm, the director of the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management, said: “These rules should have come in in 2011. They were canned by Eric Pickles in 2015 and we have had 13 years of delays. This has been kicked down the road and what is going on now is the result of that.”

He spoke as the institute published a comprehensive report at Westminster, which calls for the next government to order an independent investigation into water companies, who stand accused of widespread pollution and profiteering, and the regulators, who have failed to robustly control the privatised industry.

“Over 30 years on from water privatisation, with widespread urbanisation and agricultural intensification, a fresh approach – including potential reform of water regulators – is needed,” the report says.

“With levels of trust in water companies impacted by repeated reports of pollution and profiteering, both public and water practitioners want more transparency and assurance that companies are acting in the interest of society and the environment.”

The authors of the report interviewed professionals working in the water and environmental industries. Overwhelmingly, they expressed widespread dissatisfaction over water company ownership and operations. Just 6% of the experts questioned were supportive of a continuation of the current approach to ownership, corporate governance and regulation.

The report calls for the Conservative government to finally implement rules to create sponge cities after a decade in which ministers have delayed and attempted to scrap the plans. Sponge cities are urban zones with multiple areas of greenery, trees, ponds, soakaways, pocket parks and permeable paving to allow water to drain away. They also include measures to store rainwater and runoff, such as widespread use of water butts.

Increased runoff from rainfall overwhelms water company sewage systems, which have not been maintained and improved by water companies as a result of under-investment. The extra water increases the likelihood of raw sewage being discharged, while hard surfaces in towns and cities increase the risk of flooding.

In its latest business plan, Thames Water says by 2015 London had seen the biggest decrease in plant cover in front gardens of anywhere in the UK, with five times as many front gardens with no plants compared with the preceding 10 years.

This increased the burden on sewers and the risk of pollution, the company said.

But the Conservative government has repeatedly failed to implement rules under schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, which mandated developers to install sustainable drainage systems in new developments. Conservative ministers have argued the requirements will be too costly for developers.

The Guardian revealed last year that at least 10% of donations received by the Conservative party since 2010 came from property developers, real estate tycoons and others connected with the construction industry.

Public outcry over sewage pollution, and revelations about water companies’ abuse of storm overflows to dump raw sewage into rivers, which should only take place in exceptional circumstances, have forced the government to look again at schedule 3. But as yet it has not been made mandatory for developers.

“Sponge cities are not a new concept and are being delivered internationally to manage demands for growth amidst water – typically flood and drought – crises,” the report said.

“In the UK we have our own water crises spanning these same challenges of either too much or too little water, as well as pollution.

“Greening our urban spaces is a win-win approach on all these fronts. We must flip the mindset that treats rainwater as a waste product to be got rid of in the urban environment, into one where it is a treasured resource.”

The report, which polled 4,000 members of the public, found 71% of people in England believed water company profits should be restricted because of performance concerns. Two-thirds said companies made too much profit.

Simon Jupp supports the latest proposals.

Local campaigners are back at square one. – Owl

Philippa Davies www.sidmouthherald.co.uk 

A fresh debate has opened over the location of Tipton St John’s new primary school, after a site in Ottery St Mary was put forward as the preferred option.

The Department for Education (DfE) has assessed sites in Tipton and outside it, and recommended the Thorne Farm site off Exeter Road, near The King’s School. This site was rejected by East Devon District Council in 2021 because that plan also included a large housing development to help finance the school rebuild. Now that Tipton Primary is on the priority list for the Government’s School Rebuilding Programme, with a promise of funding, the housing is no longer needed.

The proposal to rebuild Tipton Primary in Ottery St Mary is being supported by the school governors, the Executive Headteacher of the Otter Valley Federation and the local MP Simon Jupp. They all agree that if the DfE didn’t think any sites in Tipton were suitable, it’s vital to go ahead with the Ottery recommendation so that the safe new school can be built as soon as possible.

But local councillors, who have also campaigned for the rebuild for many years, argue that Tipton Primary School should remain in Tipton as it is part of the community, and they’re asking for the DfE report to be made available to the public.

The recommendation for the Ottery site was announced by Simon Jupp MP on social media at the end of last week. He published a letter to Devon County Council’s Cabinet member for Schools, Cllr Andrew Leadbetter, urging the council to ‘progress decision making without delay’. The county council is responsible for providing a suitable site for the school.

His letter said: “As MP I must support the option that will achieve the earliest possible of a new safe school. While it is regrettable that the DfE did not recommend sites in Tipton St John to be suitable, the priority must be the safety and security of the school and its children and hard-working staff.”

The school’s Chair of Governors Sarah Walls and Executive Headteacher Amanda Fulford have also published a letter in support of the Ottery site. They point out that the DfE report is not a decision-making document, and ‘aims to focus on issues of project deliverability rather than to consider any local policy or strategy priorities of each site’. With the funding in place and a ‘slot’ in the School Rebuilding Programme, they are keen to move forward with the plans for a ‘deliverable’ site.

The county councillor for the Otter Valley, Cllr Jess Bailey, doesn’t agree. In a social media post she said: “This change in position by our MP came as a huge shock to me, and I would imagine to many residents of Tipton and the surrounding area.

“Of course the primary function of the school is education, but the school also lies at the heart of the Tipton community and has done for generations.

“As the Devon County Councillor for Tipton St John I have always believed that all avenues must be explored to try to retain the school in the village. I have arranged to meet with DCC senior officials and Cllr Andrew Leadbetter to discuss the contents of the DfE report later this week.

“As far as I am concerned it is essential that the DfE report is put in the public domain as a matter of urgency. I feel this is vital so that residents, parents and town councillors can consider its contents.”

South West Water says they have finished installing a temporary pipe that will divert flows around a damaged section of sewage pipe in Maer Lane.

Adam Manning www.exmouthjournal.co.uk 

They say they will now focus on making a full repair at the sewage treatment plant on Maer Lane. Tankers which was transporting sewage from the site over the weekend have now been stood down. 

Exmouth beach is now also back open to swimmers, after being closed for four days following an Environment Agency ‘bathing not advised’ notice as tankers transported sewage from the Maer Lane site to the storm overflows on Exmouth seafront. The re-opening is partly down to tankers have now stopped transporting.

A full statement from South West Water said: “We have successfully finished installing the temporary pipe which will divert flows around the damaged section, so we can turn our attention to making a full repair.

“This progress means we no longer need to use tankers to transport flows from the pipe and these have been stood down. As a precaution, we will have some tankers remain on standby in case we experience further issues. As a small amount of tanker transport is part of the day-to-day running of the site, this will continue as normal but that is always the case.

“We would like to again thank residents for their continued patience whilst the works are taking place and we are sorry for any inconvenience this has caused.

A burst pipe on December 30 caused South West Water to transport sewage in tankers so the burst area is clear for its teams to focus on repairing. 

South West Water says it initially had to tanker to Maer Road Pumping Station because of flooding on the route to Maer Lane Sewage Treatment Works but since this route has become clear they have been transporting the waste to Maer Lane.

A power outage at Maer Lane Sewage Treatment Works earlier in December resulted in what the Environment Agency called “non-compliant spills,” and another burst pipe in Exmouth on December 12 which also required tankers to transport sewage.

The Environment Agency also confirmed their investigation has started with a full team planning to visit the site of the damaged pipe as a matter of urgency.

It said: “We are aware of the issue at Exmouth pumping station. We are investigating what has happened. Officers have attended site and are closely monitoring activity, as well as working with South West Water to ensure the pumping station is back in operation as quickly as possible.”

‘2024 has been particularly poor for South West Water’ Simon Jupp writes in this week’s press.

[He has been “monitoring their progress closely” since last June, obviously not closely enough as he now tries to “cover his back”]

Owl deconstructs his article which rehashes arguments he has published before.

He continues:

We all want healthy seas and rivers. Across our part of Devon, people I talk to are rightly angry at South West Water’s lack of investment. It’s an anger that I share.

The start of the year has been particularly poor for South West Water.

Exmouth has faced three major incidents in a month resulting from failures in South West Water’s infrastructure and lack of investment in the town. They’ve been using tankers to take sewage from damaged pipes to a recently overflowing pumping station. The situation has been completely unacceptable.

Following South West Water’s continued failures in Exmouth, I met with South West Water’s Chief Operating Officer, John Halsall, and the Environment Agency’s Area Director for Devon, Mark Rice, in Exmouth to challenge the water company on their handling of the ongoing incident in the town. I visited Maer Lane Sewage Treatment Works and the site of a damaged pipe in a nearby field. I also met with residents. Despite South West Water’s failures, I want to thank their ground teams and contractors who’ve faced unacceptable abuse.

[Last May Simon chaired a meeting of the region’s MPs with South West Water’s Chief Executive. They were updated on what the company is doing to get a grip on sewage spills. Simon reported: “things are moving in the right direction, and not before time.” Source here.]

[Rearrange these words to form a phrase: “Pulled, your, eyes, wool, over” ]

South West Water previously indicated to customers that the use of tankers would stop on 3rd January as they planned to complete the installation of a replacement temporary sewer pipe. At the time of writing on Monday 8th January, the temporary pipe is finally in action and tankering has stopped. This has undoubtedly taken too long and local residents are fed up, angry and disappointed in South West Water.

During my visit last week, I challenged South West Water on the timescales for a permanent solution and repeated my calls to speed up plans for £38m investment in Exmouth. They can’t take our town for granted again.

As investigations continue into this sorry state of affairs, I am continuing to work with the Environment Agency, Ofwat, and the Water Minister. Every option must be on the table in response, including hefty fines.

This is the first government in history to crack down on sewage spills. As your MP, I have never voted to legalise or allow more sewage to go into our waters. Why would I? I live by the sea in Sidmouth. My constituency office is by the sea in Exmouth. I love where we live.

[Fact check alert Well Simon it is true that you didn’t actually vote to pollute our water, but you did vote against imposing a legal duty to stop it, instead voting for something very much more “light touch”. Described as “Too little, too late” from the Rivers Trust below.]

In a perfect world, we would stop all sewage spills immediately. Sadly, stopping storm overflows – relief valves which are meant to only be used when the sewerage system is at risk of being overwhelmed – tomorrow would lead to sewage backing up into people’s homes and streets. People who tell you otherwise and claim your bills wouldn’t rise astronomically to fix it, are not being straight with you.

 [Note this is pretty much what he said in March.]

I voted for a proper plan – paid for by the water companies. I voted for legally binding duties on water companies through the Conservative government’s Environment Act 2021 to reduce discharges from every single storm overflow and eliminate all ecological harm.

[Note this is the scheme the rivers trust describe as Too little, too late : “ Far from revolutionising the sewer system, as the plan claims, this plan aims to claw its way back to what should have already been ‘business as usual’ by 2050 – with sewer overflows operating only during exceptional rainfall events by that time. This should be the current situation, and yet we are living with 2.6 million hours of overspills in England.”]

We also now have the data to hold water companies to account. In 2016, the proportion of storm overflows monitored across the network was 5%. This government required all water companies to fit monitors to storm overflows by the end of 2023, which was achieved. Now, Ministers are forcing water companies to make data about spills from storm overflows available to the public as they happen. I voted for that, too.

[But see: Water Companies Break Promise on Sewage Spill Maps]

Following a debate I secured in Parliament last year, South West Water announced a new multi-million-pound package to upgrade Sidmouth and Tipton St John’s sewer system, and reduce phosphorus pollution at Axminster Kilmington waste water treatment works. I’m trying to secure another debate in Parliament to continue my calls for investment across East Devon, and push for Sidmouth and Tipton’s investment to be sped up.

[Note: These are the local “oven ready” schemes cobbled together in the Ofwat/Defra “accelerated infrastructure delivery project for English Water companies”. Owl has already discussed the lack of clarity of who foots the bills under the heading: This raises the $64,000 question, who is paying for this: SWW; the consumer or the Tax Payer? ]

East Devon residents in our beautiful coastal communities including Exmouth, Sidmouth, Seaton, Budleigh Salterton and Beer pay the highest sewerage bills in the country. We deserve better from South West Water.

Remember Margaret Thatcher privatised water companies in 1989 and the government wrote off all debts amounting to £5bn and granted the water companies a further £1.5bn of public money, known as a “green dowry”. – Owl

Somerset Council must hike council tax by 10% and be granted special financial flexibilities by the Government to avoid effective bankruptcy, according to a proposal set to be considered by the authority’s leadership.

How near the edge is Devon? – Owl

Jonathan Bunn www.standard.co.uk 

A report published on Monday gives the council’s executive options for plugging a huge funding gap or face joining a growing number of authorities that have issued a section 114 notice declaring their inability to balance the books.

Details set to be considered on January 15 show Somerset Council, which declared a “financial emergency” last year, is facing cost pressures of £108.5 million in 2024-25, an annual increase of 20%.

Among saving measures which the council’s Liberal Democrat leader Bill Revans described as “heartbreaking”, the council could end funding for discretionary services such as theatres, leisure facilities and five recycling sites.

In addition, Somerset plans to use £36.8 million of reserves and surpluses from local taxes to reduce the funding gap to £37.9 million.

The report gives the council’s leadership three options for covering the remaining shortfall.

These are increasing council tax by 10%, which is double the percentage currently permitted annually without a local referendum and requires dispensation from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

This council tax hike would generate £17.1 million and must be combined with securing a “capitalisation direction” for £20.8 million from the department, which allows receipts from the sale of assets to be used for everyday spending on services.

If the council tax rise is rejected by the Government, Somerset Council must request a capitalisation direction to cover the full £37.9 million.

If either request is rejected, the report says “this will force the section 151 officer to use his statutory powers and issue a section 114 notice”.

Somerset would then become the eighth council since 2020 to declare effective bankruptcy, and the sixth since the beginning of 2022.

Somerset Council was established as a unitary authority in April 2023 after the district councils in the southern part of the ceremonial county were abolished, largely in a bid to cut costs.

Councillor Revans echoed warnings from other local government leaders in insisting the model of local government finance is “broken” and said Somerset had also been hampered by a “historically low” council tax rate.

He added: “This is what a financial emergency looks like. No decision has been made, but all of these savings and the 10% council tax increase are unprecedented actions that have to be considered if we are to steer this authority through a period of extreme pressure.

“Officers have done as we have asked and left no stone unturned. The result is a set of options, many of which are unpalatable – some heartbreaking – that no-one would want to take forward.”

The Government has come under pressure over the state of local government finances after a prolonged funding squeeze and has been criticised by Tory council leaders.

The local government finance settlement made £565.3 million available to Somerset Council in 2024/25, a 6% increase on £533 million in 2023/24.

A spokesperson for the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said: “Councils are ultimately responsible for their own finances and for setting their own council tax, but we remain ready to talk to any concerned about its financial position.

“We recognise they are facing challenges and that is why we have announced a £64 billion funding package to ensure they can continue making a difference, alongside our combined efforts to level up.”