"BATHING WATERS IN THE BEST STATE EVER", screams the minister "last year 93% were classified as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’".

That's an impressive number; or is it? Your short 🧵for a Sunday morning. (1/7) You see what's important with these things is what you test for, when you test for it and how you test for it.

For example take testing for bathing water quality, wanna steer the results so you can claim they're the best results ever? Easy. (2/7)

A short 🧵

Poor little old @DefraGovUK clearly feeling very rattled by Our Troubled Waters and once again trying to misrepresent the reality of sewage dumping, I'm assuming because gov backbenchers are finally beginning to realise they've been... (1/4)

deframedia.blog.gov.uk/2023/03/06/gov… screwed by ministerial incompetence.

It's legal they scream, err, no it's not. Confused?

In 2012 the UK was taken to the European Court of Justice for allowing water companies to dump sewage into the environment. The UK was found... (2/4)

SENSATIONAL NEWS.

Today @thetimes launches its campaign to clean up Britian's rivers and beaches. 👋👋👋

Gov backtracking on increasing fines for water companies. "Disproportionate", says Thérèse Coffey. “Crazy”, says the chair of the EA.

Both out of touch with reality Apart from that explosive story about gov's U-turn on fines for water companies, let me reming you @thameswater made £493.5m profit in just 6 months last year, there is me on the inside explaining why I'm backing this brilliant @thetimes campaign.

thetimes.co.uk/article/fearga…

Ireland… Ireland… Ireland… Ireland…

The soon to be former CEO of the @EnvAgency @JamesBevanEA appeared before the @CommonsEAC on Wed afternoon and what an extraordinary event it was.

Sir James you see is desperately keen to undermine the objectives of the Water Framework Directive (WFD), why? Because it... (1/4) makes him look incompetent.

Here's how it works. Currently 86% of the rivers in England are not in 'Good' ecological condition. That is a scientific analysis, the WFD details exactly how to measure it.

Sir James thinks the EA's idea of "kilometres of rivers enhanced"... (2/4)

@RichardHRBenyon Thank you for that Richard.

"The law has always allowed for discharges, subject to a heavily regulated permitting system," curiously it didn't.

You will recall that the UK gov was taken to the European Court of Justice by the EU Commission in 2012 over this very issue.... (1/5) @RichardHRBenyon non-compliance with Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive.

The court ruled that the UK was acting illegally by allowing water companies to dump sewage into the environment "outside of exceptional situations".

"exceptional situations", being s set of circumstances... (2/5)

It's a miracle, It's a miracle.

Beach rated 'Excellent' 3 weeks after gov's sewage plan

Err, actually the rating is based on samples taken between 2018 - 2022, 60 samples taken before gov's plan came into effect, 3 after.

HINT: If you're going to tell a fib make it a good one.

https://twitter.com/CEN_HQ/status/1613582304080789504

No doubt @SelaineSaxby will be eager to correct the parliamentary record.

Short 🧵 on sewage:

Following a complaint, in 2012 the EU Commission took the UK Gov to the European Court Justice over allowing water companies to dump sewage into rivers.

Court ruled it was illegal and that sewage overflows should only ever be used in "exceptional situations" Last year @Ofwat wrote to WCs reminding them of their statutory obligations under section 94 WIA 1991. See below, that water companies must build and operate sewage systems capable of dealing with the contents of sewers, no matter what's in there or indeed how it got there.

The River Kennet is a chalk stream some of the rarest river habitat in the world.

It rises in Wiltshire near Silbury and Avebury yet by the time it reaches Marlborough just 10 miles later it is already polluted.

In 2019 @Thameswater spent 1,636 hours dumping sewage into it. By the time the river gets to Kintbury just 12.5 miles later a further 1,233 hours worth of sewage has been dumped into the river.

Running totals, 22.5 miles from source, 2,869 hours worth of sewage, equivalent of 199 whole days.

SOMETHING FOR THE WEEKEND SIR.

This is a short tale about 2 environment regulators, yes we do have 2, but don't panic it's also a tale about how someone, somewhere appears to have a lot of questions to answer.

Ladies & gentlemen meet the @EnvAgency (EA) & @NaturalEngland (NE) Yes we have 2 environment regulators but each has their own separate, responsibilities with just a small occasion overlap. For example take rivers.

The EA has a clear straightforward obligation, to "Maintain, improve and develop fisheries", our rivers..........

So as some of you know I made a rather eccentric decision at the beginning of the year to walk every river in north London before Christmas, well that means the next 3 weekends are going to be busy. :)

Today is number 17! Hurray! But before we begin children I wanted to draw your attention to a speech given by @OfwatChiefExec CEO of @ofwat at a water industry earlier this week. I suspect it’s the first time Ofwat or anyone else spoke directly to the industry about the impact they have on our rivers. (1/2)