Climate Thoughts with Brian

Category: pollution

Back to Bentham: What next for the people of Bentham still waiting for answers?

Almost four months ago, ITV released their documentary on high PFAS levels in the blood of some Bentham residents. Bentham, once dubbed ‘the most PFAS polluted town in the UK, has been in the spotlight for several years now, as investigations revealed incredibly high levels of PFAS chemicals in the groundwater of their wastewater lagoons.…
Read more: Back to Bentham: What next for the people of Bentham still waiting for answers?
New analysis suggests up to 90% of untreated sewage discharges could be illegal

A major new analysis by sewage pollution expert Peter Hammond has found that between 80% and 90% of untreated sewage discharge across Britain is non-compliant with the Environment Agency’s own “heavy rainfall” methodology. The report, published by Windrush Against Sewage Pollution (WASP), analysed 482 storm overflows serving the equivalent of 39.3 million people across England, Scotland…
Read more: New analysis suggests up to 90% of untreated sewage discharges could be illegal
Dangerously high levels of pollution found in ‘Robin Hood’ river

The Aysgarth waterfalls in the River Ure, Yorkshire, made famous in Kevin Costner’s ‘Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves’ film, are now sadly becoming infamous owing to consistently high levels of pollution. Dangerously high levels of the bacterium which causes Legionnaire’s disease were found at Hawes- deep in the Yorkshire Dales- recently, when a comparison study…
Read more: Dangerously high levels of pollution found in ‘Robin Hood’ river
Whistleblower Reveals Hundreds of Pollution Incidents in Yorkshire River Catchment

Campaigners, MPs and members of the public gathered together in Leeds for a special screening of Channel 4’s ‘Dirty Business’ followed by a live Q&A with the central whistleblower, Rob Forrester, as well as Mark Barrow, whose specialised underwater photography featured in the programme. Kirsty Tucker, lead for Plastic Free North West Leeds (Surfers Against…
Read more: Whistleblower Reveals Hundreds of Pollution Incidents in Yorkshire River Catchment
Outrage as 2.7 million chicken mega-farm proposed for quiet North Yorkshire village

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chicken_meat_industry.jpg Plans to build a large chicken factory farm, capable of producing 2.7 million birds each year in the village of Melmerby, near Ripon, are coming under renewed scrutiny from campaigners. Forest Poultry Ltd have submitted a planning application to erect six poultry housing units, 126 metres in length, to produce approximately 2.7 million birds…
Read more: Outrage as 2.7 million chicken mega-farm proposed for quiet North Yorkshire village
Tollerton campaigners hit back at ‘unlawful’ council process

Rushcliffe Borough Council under pressure from campaigners as deadline looms for plan adoption. Save Nottingham City Airfield Group is calling on Rushcliffe Borough Council (RBC) to pause its plans to approve a significantly revised planning document and instead allow proper public consultation. The Council’s cabinet is due to consider adopting an updated version of the…
Read more: Tollerton campaigners hit back at ‘unlawful’ council process
Yorkshire’s Hidden River Chemical Crisis Brought to Light in Striking New Exhibition

A groundbreaking multimedia exhibition reveals the invisible chemical threats facing Yorkshire’s rivers and asks what individuals can do about it. An exhibition combining fine art photography, immersive soundscapes and cutting-edge environmental science is coming to York in just a few days’ time, shining a light on a form of river pollution that rarely makes headlines…
Read more: Yorkshire’s Hidden River Chemical Crisis Brought to Light in Striking New Exhibition
Thousands of people across the country protest against sewage pollution

Pictures of Scarborough Surfers Against Sewage Protest credit @torysmasher In over 50 locations across the country, people gathered today to express their outrage at the ongoing sewage pollution of waterways, rivers and the coastline around the UK. Organised by Surfers Against Sewage, these ‘Paddle Out Protests’ aim to protest against the sewage pollution by the…
Read more: Thousands of people across the country protest against sewage pollution
CHANNEL 4 NEWS EXCLUSIVE: KING’S PRIVATE ESTATE TRIED TO SELL TOXIC LAND TO COUNCIL

Image supplied by Channel 4 Channel 4 News has uncovered the King’s private estate tried to sell land contaminated with toxic illegal waste in Wigan to the local council. In January, Channel 4 News revealed the 25,000-ton site, dubbed UK’s “most dangerous illegal waste dump”, was on land largely owned by the Duchy of Lancaster…
Read more: CHANNEL 4 NEWS EXCLUSIVE: KING’S PRIVATE ESTATE TRIED TO SELL TOXIC LAND TO COUNCIL
MPs call for urgent, drastic and decisive action on pervasive PFAS pollution

A report, published today, by a cross-party Environmental Audit Committee, called for the phase-out of ‘forever chemicals’ in non-essential uses, as well as recommending a group- based approach in tackling PFAS chemicals, rather than an individual approach of separate PFAS. The report argued that current UK Government action is lagging behind standards in Europe and…
Read more: MPs call for urgent, drastic and decisive action on pervasive PFAS pollution