Press release: Newcastle man sentenced for illegal waste operation

A Newcastle man has been handed a suspended prison sentence for running an illegal waste site.

Leonard Sutherland, 77, from Burns Close Pig Farm at Armstrong Street in Callerton, appeared at South East Northumberland Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, 7 February.

It had originally been set for trial, but on his appearance he pleaded guilty to operating a waste site without a permit at Burns Close Pig Farm.

He was sentenced to 10 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months. He must also clear all waste from the site by 7 April.

Image shows waste at the site at Callerton

Significant amount of waste

On behalf of the Environment Agency, solicitor Simon Crowder told the court that two Environment Officers attended the site on seven different dates between January 2015 and July 2016.

They saw a significant amount of mixed waste on the ground, with new waste noticed on each visit. The waste had been sorted into types, and there was some evidence of burning.

On talking to Sutherland, he said it was someone else who was responsible for putting the waste on his land. This person was spoken to and evidence gathered, but there was no link between his activities and the waste at the site. Sutherland also said he was in poor health.

In March 2015, Sutherland agreed with the Environment Agency that the site would be cleared within two months and waste transfer notes would be provided. The site was not cleared.

Image shows waste at the site at Callerton

The Environment Agency’s Andy Rothery, who was involved in the investigation, said after the case:

Sutherland was repeatedly told the waste on his site was illegal and despite being given opportunities to clear it, this didn’t happen. Illegal waste activity has a detrimental impact on the community and environment, as well as undermining legitimate businesses.

We’ll continue to work hard to ensure enforcement action is taken against those who flout the law.



This report should serve as a warning that plans to re-introduce selection at 11 will only make the attainment gap wider – Rayner

Angela
Rayner MP, Shadow Education Secretary, commenting on the Sutton Trust report into the
attainment gap between poor pupils and their better-off classmates, said:

“This
report should serve as a stark warning to the Government that their plans to
re-introduce selection at 11 will only make this attainment gap between
disadvantaged children and their peers even wider.

“Their plans to bring back grammar schools are
reckless and without evidence. Introducing wholesale selection back into the
schools system will only make life more difficult for the most disadvantaged
kids.”



Injured finless porpoise found, in stable condition

After three days of searching, an injured finless porpoise was finally discovered Thursday afternoon in the Poyang Lake, China’s largest freshwater lake.

Finless porpoise protection volunteers in Jiangxi Province discovered a large fishhook on the back of the endangered animal, using a long-focus lens on Feb. 5, but the the animal disappeared before they could help.

Jiangxi Provincial Fishery Department initiated a search for the animal after being informed by volunteers. Hydrobiology experts from the Chinese Academy of Sciences also joined the search.

Experts said the porpoise seemed to be in stable condition, and are making plans to capture the porpoise to offer it assistance.

Zhan Shupin, a department employee, said it was hard to catch it since it was in a water channel 400 meters wide and 20 meters deep.

Rarer than China’s giant panda, the finless porpoise is a mammal similar to the dolphin, and now teeters on the brink of extinction, with a population of around 1,000. About 450 live in the Poyang Lake.



Research and analysis: Employment status review (2015)

This report was commissioned under the Coalition government and submitted to the Minister for Employment Relations in March 2015. The data in the report was updated in December 2015.

We are placing this report in the public domain in the interests of transparency and to help inform Matthew Taylor’s review of modern employment practices. The Taylor Review will consider this document as part of a wider range of evidence.



Theresa May has lost control of the NHS this winter – Ashworth

“Theresa May has lost control of the NHS
this winter”: Labour reacts to latest performance data

NHS England has today published full year
2016 data for a number of key NHS indicators, including waiting lists,
ambulance response and delayed transfers, which show the health
service stretched to the limits.

The BBC has also published leaked figures
showing January’s A&E performance to be the worst since records started.

Labour said the figures showed Theresa May
was failing patients and renewed calls for the Government to bring
forward extra support for health and social care in the March budget.  

Jon Ashworth, Labour’s Shadow Health
Secretary, said:

“Theresa May has lost control of the NHS
this winter and patients are paying the price as target after target is missed
and standards of care deteriorate. Thousands more people are waiting for
treatment, people are stuck in hospitals even when they’re well enough to go
home, and key standards on cancer care and ambulance response times are
being missed.

“These are some
of the worst figures we have seen. Experts are saying that standards are being
pushed back fifteen years or more. Behind each of these statistics is a patient
suffering and in unacceptable discomfort. It’s making Theresa May’s utter
disregard for the dire state of the NHS all the more disgraceful.

“The Government has failed the NHS right
across the board. Urgent action is required and Labour is calling for a
sustainable funding package for health and social care to be brought forward in
the March Budget, so that the NHS and its patients never have to go through a
winter like this again.”

Ends