An environmental lawyer is facing up to two years in prison for clearing rubbish from an East London river. Paul Powlesland, 40, and a group of volunteers filled over 200 bags of waste from the River Roding in Barking, including packaging, needles, domestic appliances, and weapons.
Prosecution threat
Shortly after the clean-up, Powlesland received a letter from the Environment Agency (EA) notifying him that he was under investigation for operating without a licence. The offence carries a maximum punishment of two years in prison and could also cost him his job as an environmental lawyer. Despite this, Powlesland, who lives on a houseboat on the river, has pledged to continue his efforts and urged the EA to collaborate rather than pursue legal action.
Volunteer efforts
Powlesland and fellow volunteers from his grassroots charity, the River Roding Trust, descended on a side channel of the river in March. They hired a digger for £1,000 and removed rubbish and invasive species to restore the waterway for wildlife. However, just days after completing the restoration work, before Powlesland had even announced the results publicly, he received an email from the EA informing him of the investigation.
Powlesland expressed surprise at how the EA found out, suggesting there might be "EA spies in our Facebook group." He wants the agency to focus its enforcement priorities elsewhere, arguing that volunteers should not have to dip into their own pockets and navigate regulatory red tape to clean up the local environment.
Ecological recovery
Powlesland highlighted a Thames Water sewage outlet roughly 200 metres upstream from the restored site, which he claims is routinely spewing sewage into the water. Thames Water maintains that its outlet operates within the law. Despite this, Powlesland said the group's clean-up efforts have resulted in the waterway "coming back to life," with irises, reed beds, fish, dragonflies, and herons returning.
He added: "This is what we've seen over and over again: if you just take away the rubbish and invasive species, get some light back to the river, amazing things happen. It isn't rocket science, and it isn't impossible."
Official responses
An Environment Agency spokesperson said: "We welcome communities taking steps to improve their local environment, but carrying out works without the required permits is not acceptable. Environmental permits are there to make sure that work does not cause unintended harm - to flood risk, drainage or the wider environment."
A Thames Water spokesperson commented: "We're delivering our biggest wastewater network upgrade in 150 years... Clean, safe rivers are a shared priority, and we support efforts to improve water quality." They added that their Combined Sewer Outfalls operate within limits set by the Environment Agency and are a legally permitted process.
