This morning, Geoff Crawford, one of the Admin and Group experts of ESCAPE (End Sewage Convoys and Poollution in Exmouth), posted on their Facebook page that there will be a meeting tonight. (Thursday 24th October, 2024.)

“ESCAPE are looking forward to attending the “on the same page”meeting tonight. MP, SWW, EA, ETC, BTC, EDDC, DCC, Sideshore, ESCAPE. Progress?”

MP – Mr David Reed, SWW – South West Water, EA – Environment Agency, BTC – Budleigh Town Council, EDDC – East Devon District Council, DCC – Devon County Council, Sideshore, ESCAPE. 

In the comments on this post, a member of the ESCAPE facebook page asked, “What is this please?”

Geoff Crawford replied, “Its a big meeting of “a limited number of interested parties and SWW and EA so that we can all be on the same page” arranged by David Reed MP. Fortunate that ESCAPE have been included though realistically it is we who have brought this about through pressure. The aim of the briefing session is to inform local elected representatives on the current situation, and to give councillors the opportunity to ask SWW about the feasibility and timelines around their delivery plan.

This will allow all of us to collectively assess and judge SWW’s plans and delivery, and to ensure that we are getting the local network upgrades that we so desperately need. None of us want a repeat of the summer we have just had.”

As a correspondent, it is reassuring that these different organisations are working together. It will be interesting to find out if the Secretary of State for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Steve Reed has replied to the letter that Exmouth Town Council sent him last month inviting him to Exmouth.  https://exmouth.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Letter-to-the-Sec-of-State-re-SWW-no-sig.pdf