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James Bevan has been asked to justify the reduction in Environment Agency (EA) inspections at bathing water sites following suggestions that the regulator’s oversight had decreased.
The request followed the EA chief executive’s evidence given during the inquiry by House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee into the work and powers of Ofwat.
Lord Hollick, who leads the Committee, wrote to Bevan to clarify if he had taken a decision to reduce inspections of bathing water pollution incidents and, if so, the reasons for the decision.
Bevan, who appeared with EA chair Alan Lovell, had assured the inquiry the agency maintains and uses a large, sophisticated monitoring network.
Hollick further probed if a reduction in inspections was driven by a lack of resources at the EA and whether Bevan was “concerned that pressures on the public finances could see inspections scaled back further?”
The committee chair said: “We are particularly concerned given the poor environmental performance of water companies and the ongoing investigation into several companies’ compliance with their permits in relation to storm overflow usage.”
The letter goes on to inquire if Bevan trusts water companies’ monitoring, assessments, and evidence in relation to water pollution, “given their past performances”.
Bevan has until 16 December to respond to the challenge that the EA was working to change how pollution incidents are classified instead of taking action to reduce them.
Finally, Hollick asked if scaling back of inspections would hinder the EA’s ability to spot pollution incidents.
An EA spokesperson confirmed the letter had been received and a response would be made. They said: “The Environment Agency has not taken a decision to reduce the response to bathing water pollution incidents. It is the Environment Agency, not the water companies, that classifies pollution incidents.
“The Environment Agency receives 70-100,000 incident reports a year, ranging from water pollution and waste crime to coastal erosion and flooding. We assess and record every incident and they will always be attended if there is any significant risk to people or the environment. All information we receive is used to shape regulatory interventions where they are needed most.”
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