yet more red tape

We asked the Environment Agency a simple set of questions.

Remember this is the ENVIRONMENT AGENCY!

1) Who is responsible for assessing and communicating public health risks from sewage at bathing waters?
2) What discussions have taken place between the Environment Agency, the UK Health Security Agency and others about that responsibility?
3) How is environmental monitoring data shared with public health bodies when contamination is detected?

Not complicated right? Wrong!

With some sniffiness I was told that the Environment Agency DOES NOT, apparently, assess health risks.

That sits with UKHSA, the body responsible for protecting public health.

The EA monitors pollution, notifies others, and publishes alerts through Swimfo, its public bathing water site showing water quality and sewage discharge information.

But when asked how that data is shared with the body responsible for health risk, the answer was: THAT INFORMATION IS NOT HELD.

Err... WHAT?!!!

We have a system where pollution is monitored, health risk sits elsewhere, and information is published to the public, but no clear explanation of how it all connects.

From an Ocean Activist perspective, that raises a serious question.

Did no one stop and ask whether this actually makes sense?

People don’t care which agency does what. They want to know if it’s safe to be in the water.