Press release: Joint Statement on anniversary of Khan Sheikhoun attack

Joint Statement on the anniversary of the Khan Sheikhoun attack by Boris Johnson, Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom, Jean-Yves Le Drian, Foreign Minister of France, Heiko Maas, Foreign Minister of Germany and John Sullivan, Acting Secretary of State of the United States.

Today marks one year since the heinous attack on the town of Khan Sheikhoun, where Asad’s forces unleashed sarin nerve gas with tragic consequences for hundreds of men, women and children.

For more than seven long years there has been no let-up in the atrocities committed by the Syrian regime, enabled by its backers, in flagrant violation of international law. The suffering that has been inflicted on the Syrian people by the Asad regime and its backers is abhorrent.

In 2013, Russia promised to ensure Syria would abandon all of its chemical weapons. Since then, international investigators mandated by the UN Security Council have found the Asad regime responsible for using poison gas in four separate attacks. Instead of fulfilling its promise, Russia reacted by using its Security Council veto to shut down the investigation.

Each time a chemical weapon is used, it undermines the global consensus against their employment. Further, any such use in clear violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention gravely undermines the rules-based international order.

We condemn the use of chemical weapons by anyone, anywhere. We are committed to ensuring that all those responsible for their use are held to account. We will not rest in our efforts to seek justice for the victims of these abhorrent attacks in Syria.



News story: UK medic helps to save life during Pacific Partnership 2018

Corporal Darren Phillips onboard USNS Brunswick as part of Pacific Partnership 2018. Crown Copyright.

Pacific Partnership is an annual exercise involving 22 partner nations around the globe in 18 host countries. It aims to assist local communities in planning for humanitarian crisis’ whilst also teaching medical and engineering skills. 4 UK medics are involved, representing each of the 3 services.

On the 23 March 2018, whilst deployed in Yap in The Federated States of Micronesia, Corporal Darren Phillips worked alongside Japanese Military Medics to save the life of a local man who had severely injured himself. The military medics were attending Yap Memorial Hospital conducting a community health engagement when the patient arrived, having had an accident while cleaning around his home. The knife the patient used to clear out overgrown branches broke and struck his wrist causing near fatal blood loss.

L-R Corporal Phillips, POMA Nicholl, Flt Lt Lowry and Lt Cdr Middleton. Crown Copyright.

Corporal Phillips provided immediate trauma care and in response said:

We are constantly trained to respond to trauma situations, we saw a patient needing immediate attention, and we acted quickly and efficiently. This is what we do. It is a great experience to be part of a multinational team working together to help people from all over Yap.

On the day in question we provided medical care to over 100 patients at the hospital, and we are looking forward to continuing with the rest of the exercise.

The defence medical services twitter account is following the exercise closely.

For more stories and photos please follow @defence_medical.



Press release: Treacle Jug Farm waste operator stuck with £2,307 fine

The owner of Bradley Brothers Skip Hire (BBSH), a waste management business in Ferrensby near Harrogate, has been fined £2,307 and ordered to pay £4,000 costs and a £170 victim surcharge following a successful prosecution by the Environment Agency.

David Bradley (55) of Treacle Jug Farm, Ferrensby, North Yorkshire, was sentenced on 3 April at Harrogate Magistrates’ Court having admitted to offences relating to the deliberate violation of an Environment Agency enforcement notice, the illegal operation of a waste management facility and failing to exercise duty of care in the transfer of controlled wastes.

The Environment Agency prosecuted after Bradley repeatedly and deliberately flouted his legal obligations over a 32 month period, beginning in February 2014 after officers discovered BBSH’s Treacle Jug Farm site was in breach of its Environmental Permit conditions during a routine inspection.

The site was found to be full beyond its design capacity, leading to an inability to treat and process waste within the confines of a dedicated building as required by its Environmental Permit. Waste material had also been tipped in front of the entrance of the building and skips of waste were being stored outside and not on sealed drainage, representing an environmental risk of pollution and increasing the risk of amenity issues such as odours, pests and dust. Bradley was instructed to bring the site back into compliance, which he failed to do.

Bradley continually failed to comply with the requirements of his Environmental Permit, ignoring the requirements of an enforcement notice to remove waste from the site. He also failed to provide an accurate record of the disposal of 223 separate consignments of waste, which is a criminal offence, and was unable to maintain his continuing competency to operate a waste facility, another breach of the site’s Permit. BBSH even continued to accept waste into the Treacle Jug Farm site after its Permit was suspended and finally revoked.

An Environment Agency spokesperson said:

We had sought to work with Mr Bradley to help bring the site into compliance and provided a number of opportunities for corrective action to be taken. However, Mr Bradley failed to respond to our efforts and even illegally imported waste into the site once the company’s permit to operate had been withdrawn.

The conditions of an Environmental Permit are designed to protect people and the environment. Failure to comply with these legal requirements is a serious offence that can damage the environment, undermine those who adhere to the rules and cause misery for local communities.

We hope the court’s sentencing decision demonstrates the importance of companies adhering to environmental permitting rules.

In mitigation, Bradley said that he had made attempts to clear the waste but was under financial pressures due to outstanding debts.

Bradley was also ordered to pay £4,000 costs and £170 victim surcharge.



Press release: Treacle Jug Farm waste operator stuck with £2,307 fine

The owner of Bradley Brothers Skip Hire (BBSH), a waste management business in Ferrensby near Harrogate, has been fined £2,307 and ordered to pay £4,000 costs and a £170 victim surcharge following a successful prosecution by the Environment Agency.

David Bradley (55) of Treacle Jug Farm, Ferrensby, North Yorkshire, was sentenced on 3 April at Harrogate Magistrates’ Court having admitted to offences relating to the deliberate violation of an Environment Agency enforcement notice, the illegal operation of a waste management facility and failing to exercise duty of care in the transfer of controlled wastes.

The Environment Agency prosecuted after Bradley repeatedly and deliberately flouted his legal obligations over a 32 month period, beginning in February 2014 after officers discovered BBSH’s Treacle Jug Farm site was in breach of its Environmental Permit conditions during a routine inspection.

The site was found to be full beyond its design capacity, leading to an inability to treat and process waste within the confines of a dedicated building as required by its Environmental Permit. Waste material had also been tipped in front of the entrance of the building and skips of waste were being stored outside and not on sealed drainage, representing an environmental risk of pollution and increasing the risk of amenity issues such as odours, pests and dust. Bradley was instructed to bring the site back into compliance, which he failed to do.

Bradley continually failed to comply with the requirements of his Environmental Permit, ignoring the requirements of an enforcement notice to remove waste from the site. He also failed to provide an accurate record of the disposal of 223 separate consignments of waste, which is a criminal offence, and was unable to maintain his continuing competency to operate a waste facility, another breach of the site’s Permit. BBSH even continued to accept waste into the Treacle Jug Farm site after its Permit was suspended and finally revoked.

An Environment Agency spokesperson said:

We had sought to work with Mr Bradley to help bring the site into compliance and provided a number of opportunities for corrective action to be taken. However, Mr Bradley failed to respond to our efforts and even illegally imported waste into the site once the company’s permit to operate had been withdrawn.

The conditions of an Environmental Permit are designed to protect people and the environment. Failure to comply with these legal requirements is a serious offence that can damage the environment, undermine those who adhere to the rules and cause misery for local communities.

We hope the court’s sentencing decision demonstrates the importance of companies adhering to environmental permitting rules.

In mitigation, Bradley said that he had made attempts to clear the waste but was under financial pressures due to outstanding debts.

Bradley was also ordered to pay £4,000 costs and £170 victim surcharge.



Press release: Treacle Jug Farm waste operator stuck with £2,307 fine

The owner of Bradley Brothers Skip Hire (BBSH), a waste management business in Ferrensby near Harrogate, has been fined £2,307 and ordered to pay £4,000 costs and a £170 victim surcharge following a successful prosecution by the Environment Agency.

David Bradley (55) of Treacle Jug Farm, Ferrensby, North Yorkshire, was sentenced on 3 April at Harrogate Magistrates’ Court having admitted to offences relating to the deliberate violation of an Environment Agency enforcement notice, the illegal operation of a waste management facility and failing to exercise duty of care in the transfer of controlled wastes.

The Environment Agency prosecuted after Bradley repeatedly and deliberately flouted his legal obligations over a 32 month period, beginning in February 2014 after officers discovered BBSH’s Treacle Jug Farm site was in breach of its Environmental Permit conditions during a routine inspection.

The site was found to be full beyond its design capacity, leading to an inability to treat and process waste within the confines of a dedicated building as required by its Environmental Permit. Waste material had also been tipped in front of the entrance of the building and skips of waste were being stored outside and not on sealed drainage, representing an environmental risk of pollution and increasing the risk of amenity issues such as odours, pests and dust. Bradley was instructed to bring the site back into compliance, which he failed to do.

Bradley continually failed to comply with the requirements of his Environmental Permit, ignoring the requirements of an enforcement notice to remove waste from the site. He also failed to provide an accurate record of the disposal of 223 separate consignments of waste, which is a criminal offence, and was unable to maintain his continuing competency to operate a waste facility, another breach of the site’s Permit. BBSH even continued to accept waste into the Treacle Jug Farm site after its Permit was suspended and finally revoked.

An Environment Agency spokesperson said:

We had sought to work with Mr Bradley to help bring the site into compliance and provided a number of opportunities for corrective action to be taken. However, Mr Bradley failed to respond to our efforts and even illegally imported waste into the site once the company’s permit to operate had been withdrawn.

The conditions of an Environmental Permit are designed to protect people and the environment. Failure to comply with these legal requirements is a serious offence that can damage the environment, undermine those who adhere to the rules and cause misery for local communities.

We hope the court’s sentencing decision demonstrates the importance of companies adhering to environmental permitting rules.

In mitigation, Bradley said that he had made attempts to clear the waste but was under financial pressures due to outstanding debts.

Bradley was also ordered to pay £4,000 costs and £170 victim surcharge.