In England, you're allowed to clear about 20 metres of silt and rubbish out of a river on your own. Anything past that needs a permit from the Environment Agency. Paul Powlesland's volunteers cleared a 250-metre stretch of the River Roding with a hired digger, which is why a barrister who hauled out 200 bags of trash is now under criminal investigation.
The Roding runs through east London. Powlesland lives on a boat moored on it, and for years he and a group of volunteers have pulled out shopping trolleys, needles, old appliances, even weapons. Kingfishers, herons and dragonflies came back to water that used to be buried under junk. This one job took 10 days and a digger that cost £1,000 to hire.
The rule that caught him is oddly specific. Under England's water rules, scooping silt off the bottom of a river the agency officially manages counts as a "flood risk activity", and the law treats that the same as building a structure in the water. Do it without a permit and the offence carries up to two years in prison. The agency says it is also looking at waste the volunteers left on the floodplain. Powlesland is an environmental lawyer who has used these exact laws to protect rivers and trees, and a conviction could cost him his licence to practise.
The agency's reasoning isn't unreasonable. Dredging done badly can push flooding onto people downstream and wreck the habitat that protected animals need, which is what the permit is meant to prevent. The 20-metre allowance is there for small jobs. And no decision to prosecute has actually been made.
While investigators were knocking on a volunteer's door within a week of his cleanup, water companies discharged raw sewage into England's rivers and seas for a combined 3.6 million hours in 2024, more than 400 years of spilling packed into a single year. Only 14% of English rivers are in good health. Between 2015 and 2025, the Environment Agency investigated water companies for pollution 11,474 times. Fifty-eight of those ended in a prosecution. For serious pollution over the last five years, the number of water companies actually taken to court and convicted is zero.
So the message comes out backwards. Spend ten days and a thousand pounds making a river cleaner and an officer turns up within the week. Pump sewage into that same river for years and the chance of seeing a courtroom is close to zero.
An environmental lawyer could face up to 2 years in jail after cleaning 200 bags of trash from a river
Paul Powlesland says volunteers helped wildlife return to the River Roding, but the Environment Agency is investigating the cleanup
'Every single agency failed - without exception': Families of Nottingham attack victims say 'fear of stigma and bias' left Valdo Calocane free before killings as inquiry finishes hearing evidence trib.al/kkuDdJR
‘An institutional stitch-up.’
GB News Presenter Martin Daubney responds to the Nottingham Attack families who want Valdo Calocaneto to be retried for murder, believing agencies folded in to protect themselves rather than the public.
The Somerset Farmhouse of 1 North Street, Williton were approached by a "food influencer" that wanted to charge them £2,000 for a review.
They put out a video of Sally eating a sausage roll instead 😆.
Lets make Sally and the Somerset Farmhouse famous for free.
There are times when we must let it James; this is not one of them.
Gross failings by public agencies directly contributed to the loss of my beautiful son, Barney, in Nottingham in June 2023. 💔
We have to make as much noise as is needed, for as long as it takes, to force change and improvement in public safety.
If we don’t have that, what do we have. 💚💛
IMPORTANT ❗️
Further to my late post last night. Believe all can read this.
Pse share and help us expose the CPS (Alan Murphy and Samantha Shallows) what they tried to hide.
Will also share documents and exhibits they chose to class as ‘unused’ evidence in another post.
It’s shocking…..
"No, I don't subscribe to this 'kindness' - I'll tell the truth instead."
I spoke at the Cambridge Union last night about LGBs, children's safety and women's rights. Full video here:
@Serena_Partrick Being a woman is not an opt-in exercise.
Being a woman is not a surgical outcome.
Being a woman is not a role you can turn down.
Being a woman is real, immutable and glorious.
#IStandWithSallGrover
316 Followers 711 FollowingI support Equality not Agendas.
Fan of HarryPotterWW, LordOfTheRings, ASOIAF, SPN, Bollywood.
Casual Fan of DC/MCU.
Progressive not WokeStupid
6K Followers 7K FollowingFounder of Hull Children's University & now Honorary President. Hull City & Liverpool fan. Mental Wellbeing Education, Alzheimers, Gym, Running.
57K Followers 18K FollowingAgent Mildred Yuan. Theatre Director, 🚀 on BBC Strictly, Non League fan Astrologer, Alzheimer’s supporter/Pituitary Brain Tumour survivor. PLEASE No DMs ✝️
154K Followers 138 FollowingElectricNOW is getting SUPERCHARGED. 60+ free channels, a brand new design, and our new original The Poly Couple now streaming. Link below 👇
133K Followers 4K FollowingThis account is now run by John’s wife Carol. Some memories,some RTs and the occasional comment. Let’s keep his memory alive. https://t.co/xwNlW7o6tD
2K Followers 230 FollowingAntidote to a world where broadcasters, streamers, publishers & "journalists" feel accountable to no-one but themselves.
🎞️ https://t.co/StKVpxVeGn
15K Followers 1K FollowingAward Winning Podcast: Join former New Scotland Yard award winning Criminal Behavioural Analyst @laurarichards99 as she profiles behaviour & analyzes cases.
1K Followers 584 FollowingDon't like labels. ID as a women's rights champion. Not offended by terf/gc but not what I am. If you 🚫 me because you can't defend your point, that's my win.
39K Followers 5K FollowingDirector & Spokeswoman for Binary - there are only 2 sexes, male and female.
Guilty of "unlawful vilification" for identifying males in female sport.
22K Followers 48 Following🎬 Cine y series como nunca te los contaron
🧵 Hilos con curiosidades, errores ocultos y secretos de rodaje
🎭 Actores, escenas míticas y datos que no sabías
53K Followers 2K FollowingTwo remarkable churches are at risk of being lost forever. Support our match-funding now, and every £ given will be matched by our generous donor.
39K Followers 2K FollowingFreelance journalist writing on women, culture & public policy | Founder of Courageous | Commentary on politics, culture & public life
62K Followers 1K FollowingRestore Britain 🇬🇧 Spokeswoman for the safety of Women and Children. Pink Lady 🩷 and Proud British 🇬🇧 Mother - instagram- orla minihane
79K Followers 41 FollowingEuropean Space Agency astronaut, on board the ISS 🛰️ for #εpsilon.
#Crew12. ISS Expedition 74/75.
French air and space force helicopter 🚁 test pilot.
5K Followers 71 FollowingA not-for-profit organisation of like-minded people passionate about fair and safe sport for women and girls.
Contact us: [email protected] 📩
9K Followers 6K Following🏛️ Travel Writer, Historian, Documentary Producer, and Host of Seven (7) Different Podcasts. My YouTube videos have over 16 million views.
565 Followers 117 Followinga safe place for the torvettes/torvinators 💌 | instagram: torvfilms (fan since 2016) | main: @lunaloutfy 🇱🇧 (i’m not anna, just a fan—this is a fan account)
121K Followers 489 FollowingExploring how to live with character, purpose, and style in the modern world. Reflections on culture, etiquette, adventure, and timeless values.
338 Followers 326 FollowingPhilomath. Woman. Word nerd!
Tolkien and Rowling; medieval history; languages, accents and dialects of the British Isles.
Strellacott 🖤
127K Followers 5 FollowingThe home of geopolitical news. Your source for independent, real-time global coverage.
Media/press enquiries: [email protected]