THAMES IN TROUBLE FOR POLLUTION

Thames Water has been hit with a ?40,000 fine for polluting two rivers with sewage on the same day.Fat, grease, tennis balls, plastic foam and litter from a blocked sewer were discovered in one river.

The company, which serves people across Gloucestershire, pleaded guilty to breaching the Water Resources Act of 1991.

The news comes just days after a multi-billion pound takeover as the company announced record profits.

The incidents, at the Small River Lee and the Straight Cutting in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, left a number of fish dead.

Environment Agency officer Iain Regan led the investigation.

He said: "This incident occurred due to poor maintenance of the sewer, which allowed a build-up of fat and grease to cause a major blockage."

More than 1km of river were polluted after a blockage caused an overflow of sewage.

This company has one of the worst records on polluting rivers in the country and the courts fine them lose change!

Words fail me!

But I wonder how many of the "concerned" anglers on this site will get off their arses and do or say anything about it other than on here?

What is needed is a change in the law and the power for magistrates courts to impose unlimited fines for Environmental Crimes committed by corporate bodies.

"But I wonder how many of the "concerned" anglers on this site will get off their arses and do or say anything about it other than on here?"


Please don't take this wrong Phil, but what exactly can we do?? Perhaps you could point us in the right direction mate?

Ian I?d never take offence at the serious issues you put up or any follow up questions you asked me.

Write to the Home Secretary demanding that the law is changed in cases such as these (corporate pollutions) that are dealt with in the magistrates courts.

There is a maximum fine a magistrates court can fine companies... it's around 20 K. If they had the power for unlimited fines, or as they do in criminal cases, started to refer them to the crown court for sentencing where a large fine/sentencing can be levied.
Then proportionality for the crime they commit could start to reflect the profits they make.
Fines are supposed to be a punitive financial measure that cause some hardship to the recipient and 20k to a billion pound profit company isn?t in my view.

The WAs would scream they were being unfairly treated under the law, but as it stands, the water environment is being unfairly treated because they aren?t mending they?re ways. If anything the situation is getting worse not better!

Tuff on crime, tuff on the causes of crime! However, environmental crime is treated as a bit of a joke by the establishment and the fines reflect this.

100 000 letters dropping on John Reeds doorstep might just make him do something and make the fine fit the crime and profits made.

Then the WAs would start to address their cavalier attitude to the pollution of the waterways.

Further to the above, there will be those who come on and defend the "we can't do anything so why bother attitude." Some may even defend it's unfair on the WAs argument. To the first I say bollox!

Last night a programme showed how one woman change an 800 year old law, that of double jeopardy??That?s ONE PERSON in case you didn?t catch it properly.

Now don?t tell me a concerted effort by a 100 000 anglers couldn?t do the same!

To the second, read what I said about it being unfair to the water environment?. an environment, we, all of us pay for! ? Are you custodians and guardians of that environment, or are you the apologists for the fat profit WAs?

Perhaps some sort of petition would be in order?

Graham, this could be a bit of positive action for this forum mate (not that there is any negative actions on here) An online petition, started up by Fishing Magic, sounds good to me ;-))

Ian so far this is a discussion between me and you, perhaps that speaks volumes for the attitude of the ?concerned? anglers on this site? Quick to pile in when they sense blood over something or other, but not when they think they might actually have to do something.
May be all their computers broke down at the same time????
Or a national outbreak and a pandemic of RSA????

Phil I'm reading it, just don't have anything constructive to say. Although give me one tick, Thinking of what Ian said I've got an idea.

Like someone is doing for the broads thread we could design an online petetion. Obviously with a bit of imput we could come up with what we want and the like.

Once we've done that (if we decide we want to) I'l write it up etc and we can try to put it on some other sites and things. Not just fishing ones though, surely there will be more then anglers concerned about their pollution!
http://www.petitiononline.com/create_petition.html

Christian you have restored my faith in the next generation mate! I would be a start!

Well done Christian)

Now we need a title, for the petition, and some description re what it's all about. Phil, perhaps you would consider writing a bit of information?

How about, Stop Pollution In British Waters Or something along those lines??

Sounds good Ian. In the statment we need to make sure it appeals to a wider audience then just anglers!