Burton and Uttoxeter’s Member of Parliament, Kate Kniveton, has today (09/06/2023) met with representatives from the West Midlands Environment Agency to receive an update and ask questions on the recent incident of silt pollution in the River Trent.
At a site visit to the Washlands in Burton, the local MP met with Mike Jenkins, Staffordshire Place Manager, and Will Groves, Senior Flood Risk Advisor, from the Environment Agency to hear that the company responsible for the incident had received a formal warning and assurances that any further breach could influence future enforcement action.
Mike Jenkins also confirmed to Ms Kniveton that the Environment Agency met with representatives from the company last week to discuss the actions they were taking to ensure there is no repeat of this incident.
The visit comes several weeks after the Government published its £1.6 billion Plan for Water, which sets legally binding targets to deliver cleaner waters and to reduce pollution. The Government has also announced that it will strengthen powers to hold water companies and other responsible parties to account. This includes considering changes to the law to increase the maximum amount for penalties that the Environment Agency can issue against a company that damages the environment.
Commenting, Kate Kniveton MP said:
“It was good to meet with Mike and Will from the West Midlands Environment Agency today and to hear what action they have taken following the incident of silt pollution in the River Trent.
“Residents were rightly concerned as I was about this case and wrote to me, urging that action be taken. I have been in regular dialogue with the Environment Agency to ensure that those responsible for this incident were traced and held accountable so that this cannot happen again.
“More widely, the Government has taken tough action and is introducing more stringent sanctions for companies that pollute our rivers. The Government’s Plan for Water represents a significant investment to clean up our rivers and waterways. The River Trent and Washlands here in Burton is such an asset and much loved by residents, we must do all we can to ensure it is in the best ecological shape possible.”
