Trent Pollution - Petition the Prime Minister

[alan whittington]

As i said SV,the cover up has started,with virtually no media coverage after day one,and as TBO said the working procedure has been broken by the company as a whole or an individual/s neither of which are permissable by law.I used to work for BAe building aircraft,if i would have been found to be negligent in my work,causing a crash,i would have been prosecuted.

 

[Stealph Viper]

Surely alan,

If you had been negligable in your work, it would have been picked up in the numerous quality inspection checks that would be done after you had completed your work ?

Hence you would still have been found negligable but long before the plane had a chance to leave the workshop not after it was in flight.

That's why i said, that these companies should be independently auditted, and, even more so if they are previous offenders, and the company should foot the bill for the inspections.

 

[Fred Bonney]

"I tell you what hasn't helped the cause in my eyes, is the pictures i have seen of the dead fish, perhaps 2 dozen fish lying on a bankside, to the general public this is not classed as a catastrophe or a disaster, there should have been pictures of 100's of fish if not 1000's of fish lying dead on the river, the public would have been horrified and i bet a lot more of a fuss would have been made of it. "

Only for as long as it takes to read/see the news in the majority of cases.


No conspiracy of silence from the media either, it's old news!

 

[The bad one]

As i said SV,the cover up has started,with virtually no media coverage after day one,and as TBO said the working procedure has been broken by the company as a whole or an individual/s neither of which are permissable by law.I used to work for BAe building aircraft,if i would have been found to be negligent in my work,causing a crash,i would have been prosecuted.

Alan boy I understand your frustration at what seems to be the lack of information being put in the public realm. The powers that be, the EA in this case and probably the HSE as there was a potential threat to public health and safety as well as the environment.
Are now in the evidence gathering stage. That involves interviewing workers, managers, etc at the plant about what happened in the lead up to the discharge.

The EA possibly HSE will not disclose the evidence they have gathered to the public realm until the trial. They won't even disclose it to the company until they take a decision on how they are going to proceed. E.g whether they are prosecuting the Co, warning them and so on.
To disclose their findings of evidence at this stage could well prejudice any subsequent trial and a successful prosecution.
To put that evidence into the public realm before the trial could and would allow the criminal by way of a legal techincallity to get off scot free by claiming they couldn't get a fair trial.

As this potentially is a criminal case, the rules of evidence will apply, that being the prosecution must disclose to the defence prior to the the trial all the evidence they have amassed, so the defense has time to assess it. see how strong it is and mount a defence against it, or tell their client they're bang to rights and plead guilty.

That's the legal system of law we operate under in this country so people get a fair criminal trial.

The court it goes to and the sentence they get is completely different matter and where people think the system of law lets them down.

I fear there might be some skulduggery goes down, but at this stage given what I've wrote above, is legal par for the course in these situations.

 

[Graham Marsden]

Whatever the outcome of the court proceedings it'll be interesting to see if the company concerned stay in business.

 

[alan whittington]

Yesterday i messaged 'fishermans blues' to pass information of the petition and ask Kieth Arthur to encourage new petitioners,but he would not do so as he believes(as do i)that a custodial sentance would be a just outcome,i believe this wont happen and some penalty must be enforced.
Thing is TBO that if the national media were genuinly interested they would be badgering and hounding for news,christ this is important not only for anglers but for the whole population of our country,seems anglers arent the only apethetic group in this country of ours.

 

[Fred Bonney]

Well I don't agree, it may not, or should not involve custodial sentances if the legislation, if we get it, aims at the individual pockets of the CEO's.

 

[alan whittington]

Your possibly right Fred,but it seems as though the way this country is going that slaps on the wrist's work,well im sorry thugs,terrorists and everyday criminals respond better to a punch on the nose and this offence is DEADLY serious,so the punishment should fit the crime.

 

[Fred Bonney]

Prison is too easy, and won't be long term.

A big hole in the personal wallet would hurt though.

I do agree with your penalty for thugs etc though.

 

[mikeshaw1979]

930+

Just hit 930 names, including one or two quite well known ones, should reach 1,000 sometime tomorrow or early on Weds.

 

[MarkTheSpark]

Great coverage of this issue tonight on Radio 4, PM. But poor old Eddie Mair missed the point when Hilary Benn balthered on about sewers under the Thames.
The water authorities have been asked to end almost 5,000 discharge consents relating to sewage overflow pipes, and they've fought tooth and nail to retain them. Says all you need to know.

 

[klik2change]

Eddie Mair missed the point when Hilary Benn balthered on about sewers under the Thames.

yeah I heard that. Eddie mair was for once not very well prepared. Benn was able to float away from him on a raft of sewage [as it were]

 

[Fred Bonney]

1001 more...please

 

[Stealph Viper]

I've just found this on the gofishing.co.uk website.

It's just a pity their is no mention of the Petition.

http://www.gofishing.co.uk/Angling-...ls-for-action-after-River-Trent-poison-spill/

 

[Fred Bonney]

No wonder when Keith Arthur,part of the same setup, wants the cart before the horse.

He won't sign the petition "because there was no definition of "serious" mentioned in the petition

Surely you get the relevant law makers interested first..then they make the laws and decide punishment during the early stages of making the laws????.

Sometimes I just wonder on whose behalf the bloke works, wasn't he the one shouting about not buying a rod licence too?

To be fair on Angling Times though, that same story in the paper, did carry the petition address, they just left the important part off the website.

 

[Peter Jacobs]

Only 1001?

Unbelievable!

Compare that with the 15,048 who have signed the petition regarding the government's receent decision to only reimburse legal costs for unproven motoring offences taken to court at the 'legal aid rate' ?

We really are our own worst enemy . . . . . . .

 

[Stealph Viper]

To be fair on Angling Times though, that same story in the paper, did carry the petition address, they just left the important part off the website.

Thanks for that Fred,

I don't but the Angling times, for me, it is rubbish and a waste of money.

Good to see they had printed out the Petition address though.

Is it for us to define what "Serious" should entail, or for the Powers to be to inforce what "Serious" should warrant.

 

[Fred Bonney]

1037! caaaarmon!











Today I shall be fishing at Pigeon Cottage North Somercotes. cya later

 

[alan whittington]

But Peter,its not only anglers that should be signing up to this petition,its as important to 'joe public' as anyone else,if it would have been the upper Thames look at the amount of drinking water sources that would have been affected,and it could be tomorrow if these waste disposal companies feel they can get away with it,this shows that there arent enough people finding out about this petition,for if there were the numbers would be far greater.My wife has told her friends on facebook and some of those have gone 'on'.

 

[Peter Jacobs]

Alan,

I totally agree with you as it seems the only publicity this petition received was on Angling-related media and fora.

Maybe it will take something like a dog being poisoned, or a paddler for that matter, to bring more general public awareness?