Peterborough angler and journalist Mark Williams, a regular contributor to FishingMagic, was so incensed by the news that the upper Trent had fallen victim to a massive chemical and sewage pollution that he decided to start his campaign.
“I have written about angling for 30 years and, in that time, I have reported endless river pollutions,” he told FM. “The outcome of a prosecution is always the same; just enough money to re-stock the river.
“These sums of money are nothing to the companies who pollute our rivers. They are regarded as acceptable risk. It is time polluters genuinely feared the consequences of their negligence, and in extreme cases, a custodial sentence should be imposed.”
On his blog, Mr Williams raises the issue of a sewage pollution by Severn Trent Water which, only a few weeks ago, got them a £6,700 fine: “This is a company that, in 2008, had a turnover of £1.6 billion and a profit of £168 million,” said Mr Williams. “This is a company which is paid, by us, to treat sewage so rivers are not polluted. It failed completely in its core role, yet we fine it a sum which it can shrug off.
“I am emphatically not suggesting Severn Trent Water is implicated in the recent incident but raising it as an example of the problem.
Mark Williams, campaigning to punish polluters
The company suspected of causing the cyanide pollution is in the business of waste chemical treatment – another business whose core function is to prevent pollution.
“If it is found to have been negligent, legal action must go right to the top. It is time the Prime Minister stepped in to ensure the companies we pay to control pollution actually do their job.”
DO YOU THINK IT’S TIME POLLUTERS WERE MADE TO PAY A REALISTIC PENALTY?
