Environment Agency News

UK Landfill Service and Fill Service operator uses a data-driven approach to workplace safety. Pioneering landfill and waste resource management company, Enovert, uses Blackline Safety data analytics to enhance gas detection and exposure prevention. The Challenge Preventing gas exposure and protecting workers Enovert is one of UK's pioneering providers of waste management services managing over 2.3 million tons of waste per year. Their operations include seven operational landfill sites, two...

A fire that broke out at an industrial estate near Rotherham is still issuing toxic smoke from burning waste eight weeks later. The warehouse at Kiveton Park Industrial Estate, which stores a mixture of domestic and industrial waste, caught fire in the early hours of 21 September 2022. However, it appears that fire crews are still struggling to completely extinguish hotspots within the waste piles, mainly due to the amount of waste that has been stored there.  fire suppression When...

In May 2022, the Environment Agency’s Waste Industry Regulatory Services and Chemical Compliance Team (EA) advised the Fire Industry Association (FIA) that they are applying a restriction on persistent organic pollutants entering sewerage systems and the water environment. This group of chemicals is known to have adverse long-term effects on the environment and human health, and can be found in some fire extinguishers. Chemicals in fire extinguishers The chemicals, often known as POPs,...

A 2015 survey found that globally firefighters are the most trusted profession worldwide. The fire service provides a vital role during flood events, rescuing members of the public, who may be trapped in their homes, pumping out flooded properties, and recovering stranded vehicles. However, many would not require this assistance, if they had been better prepared prior to a flood. And such preparation could help free up emergency services resources for others. Extreme rainfall and flooding Mor...

The Environment Agency secured a restriction order against a recycling firm, after it failed to comply with fire regulations despite numerous warnings about storing hazardous waste at a site near local homes. Shee Recycling in the North East town of Birtley stored large oil drums containing hazardous waste, cutting equipment, batteries, and fuel canisters, all of which were major fire hazards. Environment Agency secures restriction order The site is close to other commercial properties, the e...

A Cambridgeshire company was fined £26,800 for failing to manage the fire risk from storing vast quantities of waste wood well beyond its license, after a prosecution brought by the Environment Agency. East Anglian Resources Ltd had already pleaded guilty at a hearing of Peterborough Magistrate’s Court to breaching its environmental permit. East Anglian Resources Ltd fined by Environment Agency The company had a Fire Prevention Plan in place, but persistently failed to comply with...

Essex wood treatment firm, Prime Biomass Ltd created a huge fire safety risk to the local community by storing more than double the agreed limit of wood waste. A jury at the Old Bailey returned unanimous guilty verdicts against two directors of an illegal waste wood operation in Essex. One director was ordered to pay £50,000 in fines, compensation and legal costs while the other faces a five-year ban as a company director. A third director was acquitted by a majority verdict. five-week t...

Firefighters are deploying two high-volume pumps to Sykehouse in Doncaster in a bid to aid the removal of surface water which is currently lying on flood plains in the area.  River levels in the area are falling and existing drainage pumping arrangements are working well. Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue However, South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue has deployed the pumps-one of which is being sent by Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue-to support the speedy removal of the water and to help...

Flooding, severe weather, prolonged power cut, heat wave, large smoke plume, chemical leak, how to cope in an emergency situation? Cambridgeshire’s emergency services and other Local Resilience Forum (LRF) partners, such as local authorities, Cambridgeshire County Council, health organizations and the Environment Agency, are joining forces for the whole of September 2019, in order to share top tips and advice to help get local residents prepared for a number of different emergency situati...

Flood Awareness Day shall inform fire fighters as well as residents about ways of planning a flood rescue How to plan for and deal with flooding will be the focus for homeowners and businesses thanks to a Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) co-ordinated event later this month. Yalding Parish Council is hosting the multi-agency event at The Lees, Lees Road, Yalding on Saturday, 18 September. It will see organisations from across the county showcase the role both...