DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT, FOOD & RURAL AFFAIRS (DEFRA)

Guide to Countryside Stewardship: woodland capital grants 2015

Foresters and other land managers can apply for woodland capital grants from 17 February 2015. Grants are available for woodland creation, addressing tree health issues and creating management plans.

ENVIRONMENT AGENCY

Environmental permitting charges scheme and guidance

This document presents charges for activities under the environmental permitting regime. The guidance was updated in February 2015 to include charges for materials facilities, which will be levied on activities during 2014 in April 2015.

Materials facilities are defined as those sorting 1,000t or greater of dry mixed recyclables per year to produce glass, metal, paper or plastic recyclate.
 

Comply with the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS)

This document aims to support organisations in complying with ESOS. It presents who qualifies for the scheme, what qualifying organisations must do and the notification process. Information is also presented on fees for non-compliance.
 

Low risk waste activities: guidance

This guidance sets out low-risk waste activities where a permit is not required in England. Wording was updated during February 2015, but no additional activities were added.
 

European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) Phase III: Guidance for installations - How to comply with the EU ETS and Small Emitter and Hospital Opt-Out Scheme

Guidance on Phase III of the EU ETS was updated during February 2015. Changes concern monitoring and reporting using default factors for acetylene and simplified uncertainty assessments for activity data.
 

Climate change agreements: operations manual

This operations manual has been updated to clarify the guidance provided, while providing further information on climate change agreement facility audits and the appeals process.

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY & CLIMATE CHANGE (DECC)

Justification of Practices Involving Ionizing Radiation application register

The Justification of Practices Involving Ionising radiation Regulations 2004, as amended require regulatory justification of new classes or types of practice using ionising radiation in the UK. This register records applications, reviews and justification decisions made since the introduction of these regulations.

The register has been updated to accept the justification of the UK Advanced Boiler Water Reactor for the generation of electricity.

SCOTTISH ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AGENCY (SEPA)

Supplementary Guidance and Information:  Preserving wood with chemicals (other than sapstain only) with a production capacity of >75m3 per day

On 7 July 2015 Part A permit will be required for all timber treatment activities with a daily production capacity exceeding 75m3. This activity may not be continued after this date unless a suitable permit is held.  

This supplementary guidance document provides information on the permit application process.

CABINET OFFICE

Guidance on decontamination of buildings, infrastructure and open environment

This document was prepared to support contingency planning in the event of a deliberate or accidental release of chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear materials. An updated, fourth edition was published during February 2015.

South West Water Fined £40,000 for Killing Fish with Pollution Leak

South West Water has been ordered to pay over £40,000 in fines and costs after polluting a Devon watercourse. A combination of plant break down, telemetry failures and poor management on the part of South West Water resulted in Woodbury’s Polly Brook becoming contaminated with unsufficiently treated sewage, which led to the death of a number of fish.

South West Water admitted to two charges, namely by allowing sewage effluent that had not been fully treated to pollute the stream and failing to notify the Environment Agency of the problems with the treatment process at the Woodbury sewage treatment works.

The Environment Agency was first alerted to the pollution by two members of the public on 28 and 29 August 2013. After investigating the watercourse in question, the Environment Agency found that the conditions of the permit had been breached.

The Environment Agency identified that there were two stages of the sewage treatment process causing issues. The first stage aeration treatment, which ensures that sewage does not turn septic, had failed and also the works filtration system had been temporarily out of action during the period in which the pollution occurred.

Permit conditions were breached because South West Water had failed to ensure that the treatment works operated correctly and had not notified the Environment Agency of any problems that might affect sewage quality. The permit conditions also required that the treated sewage must be of a standard that does not cause adverse pollution or environmental harm.

South West Water was fined £40,000 for exceeding the discharge limits set out in their environmental permit and £7,500 for failing to report this to the Environment Agency. South West Water was also ordered to pay £3,200 in costs.

Co Tyrone business fined £7,000 for contravening the conditions of a discharge consent

A Co Tyrone company has been fined £7,000 at Dungannon Magistrates’ Court. Roughan Care Limited, Newmills, Dungannon for contravening the conditions of a discharge consent.

On 3 June 2014 a statutory sample was collected from the designated sampling point from Roughan Care Limited, Newmills, Dungannon. The result of the sample showed that the suspended solids content was 262 milligrammes per litre against a consent limit of 120 milligrammes per litre. The effluent was, therefore, unsuitable for discharge.

Prosecution was made under Article 7(6) of the Water (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 with the offence of breaching the conditions of a discharge consent.

South Lanarkshire businessman fined for waste offences

The owner of a skip hire company was fined £15,000 at Lanark Sheriff Court on11 February 2015 for keeping waste on his site without the required licences or exemptions.

William Meikle pleaded guilty to keeping controlled waste, namely building rubble, soil, foundry sand, demolition material, wood and other controlled waste on his site at Bankwood Farm, Biggar Road, Carnwath. He also pleaded guilty to failing to take all measures to prevent the escape of waste in his control, and waste was being burned at his site.

SEPA officers carried out site inspections at Bankwood Farm, Biggar Road, Carnwath between 17 September 2008 and 3 February 2012 and identified large quantities of waste being stored on the site, including building rubble, soil, foundary sand, demolition material and wood. On 17th September 2008 inspecting SEPA officers identified waste material, namely paper, carpet, plasterboard and wood being burned.

SEPA inspecting officers in June and November 2014 confirmed that the waste was removed.

The prosecution was brought regarding the following breaches:

• Keeping controlled waste, namely building rubble, soil, foundry sand, demolition material, wood and other controlled waste on land otherwise than in accordance with a waste management licence, contrary to the Environmental Protection Act 1990, Section 33(1)(b); 
• Keeping and carrying controlled waste, namely paper, carpet, plasterboard and wood, whilst failing  to take all such measures as were reasonable in the circumstances to prevent the escape of the waste , in that controlled waste was burned contrary to the Environmental Protection Act 1990, Section 34(1)(b) and (6).