Crackdown on river polluters discussed as MP meets Environment Agency
Pollution of the River Severn and other environmental challenges were top of the agenda when a Shropshire MP met with management at the Environment Agency.
“One of the key points on which we all agreed was that a crackdown on those who pollute the River Severn and other rivers must be strengthened and must truly hold those responsible to account,” said Julia Buckley, MP for Shrewsbury.
Mrs Buckley met with Daniel Trewin, the Place Manager for Shropshire and Worcestershire, and key representatives from the Environment Agency to discuss serious environmental challenges affecting local communities, including flood resilience, water quality, and England-Wales cross-border consistency in environmental policies.
She said: “Recent tests in the River Severn showed poor water quality, and while action plans are in place, enforcement must be strengthened to hold polluters accountable. The lack of alignment between England and Wales on environmental funding is also a concern, particularly for flood management schemes. I will be raising this with the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), to push for better consistency and cooperation.”
Mrs Buckley added: “This very informative meeting was a useful briefing on our current live projects to support flooded communities. I was particularly pleased to hear about the continuation of resilience funding for Shrewsbury properties outside of the local authority/Defra schemes “On water pollution our local EA has also managed to recently secure some successful prosecutions against Severn Trent Water and some local businesses who have been caught polluting our river.
“The Labour government’s Water Special Measures Bill has given the EA stronger teeth in this fight to enforce polluters. I’m hopeful this is going to make a real difference.”
