MP Steve Barclay blasts Environment Agency for ‘inadequate and last minute response’ over Whittlesey pollution incident

MP Steve Barclay has blasted the Environment Agency for its “inadequate, last-minute response” to his calls for answers over a serious pollution incident that happened at the end of September.

Mr Barclay, the North East Cambridgeshire MP, posted an update on the incident, which occurred at King’s Dyke in Whittlesey, and which the Environment Agency treated as a ‘category one’, indicating it had a significant impact on the environment.

Both the Environment Agency and Anglian Water acknowledged that a significant number of fish were killed, with the Environment Agency estimating up to a thousand dead fish.

Anglian Water admitted a pump failure at their Stanground site, but at the same time suggested other possible causes for the pollution.

Mr Barclay said: “Which seems unlikely. They have not provided any credible evidence for an alternative cause in the weeks since.

“On behalf of my constituents, I have repeatedly followed up on this serious incident, which should lead to prosecution. The Environment Agency informed me that the evidence from the water tests would be presented to their enforcement panel, which would decide whether to prosecute Anglian Water.

“The Environment Agency promised that this decision would be made on November 5. However, when I inquired the following day, I was told it had been postponed, with no public communication issued to the residents of Whittlesey or any reason given for the delay.

“The Environment Agency then stated that they would decide on whether to conduct a full investigation for a prosecution by December 15. Once again, I followed up the next day, but there was still no response, no explanation, and no public communication.

“Over twelve weeks after the incident, residents of Whittlesey are still waiting for an explanation regarding a pollution issue that the Environment Agency has classified as the most serious. I will continue to advocate for transparency on this matter and push for prosecutions if any criminal offences have taken place.”

Then on December 20, the frustrated politician gave a further update on his Facebook page: “I have received the below inadequate, last-minute response from the Environment Agency.

“We are unable to provide you with an update on this matter and are withholding any further information because, at this time, we are still investigating this incident. Releasing information at this point could have adverse effects if it were to progress to an enforcement case.

“I appreciate that you may be disappointed to hear this, but I hope that you can appreciate the current situation and our role as a regulator.

“This was sent on a Friday afternoon, just as many offices break for Christmas, and offers no new information, no explanation for the repeated missed deadlines, and no timeline for when an answer will be provided. I will continue to follow this up.”