To ensure full transparency around the Bradgate Park sewage incident, Clean River Action has submitted a detailed follow‑up request to the Environment Agency. These are the key questions we have asked, and why they matter.
1. Why is the EA’s incident record almost empty?
The EA’s NIRS record for Bradgate Park contains:
• no pollutant description
• no cause description
• no fish kill entry
• no environmental impact fields
• no investigation notes
• no officer observations
This is not normal for a Category 2 SSSI incident.
The incident occurred seven weeks ago, so the NIRS record should now be complete and formally closed. Its current state raises questions about whether the EA have fully logged the incident internally.
We have asked the EA to explain why the record is incomplete and to provide all associated logs.
2. Why did the EA not take laboratory samples?
STW recorded:
• 23.2 mg/L ammonia at the outfall
• >15 mg/L in the unmixed discharge
• 7.02 mg/L downstream
The EA sampled only upstream clean water.
We have asked for the criteria used to decide that lab sampling was “not required”.
3. Why has the EA not released photographs or raw field notes?
EA officers took photographs of dead fish and field measurements.
These have not been disclosed.
We have requested all raw field sheets, photos, and draft ecological notes.
4. Why was the ecological assessment done after the discharge stopped?
STW’s timeline shows:
• repairs failed more than once
• pollution continued
• mitigation was ongoing
We have asked the EA to explain why the ecological assessment was delayed and how they intend to assess harm without chemical evidence.
5. Why does STW classify the incident as Category 3 when the EA classify it as Category 2?
This contradiction affects enforcement.
We have asked the EA:
• whether they accept STW’s Category 3 classification
• whether they intend to challenge STW’s public narrative
• whether STW’s ecological claims have been reviewed
6. Why is Bradgate Park’s record weaker than Knighton Park’s?
The EA provided far more detail for Knighton Park, an incident they say was not STW’s fault, than for Bradgate Park, which is an SSSI with confirmed fish mortality.
We have asked the EA to explain this inconsistency.
7. Have Natural England been fully informed?
Bradgate Park is an SSSI.
We have asked the EA to confirm whether Natural England has received:
• full incident details
• sampling evidence
• ecological findings
• photographs
• internal notes
Clean River Action will publish the EA’s response as soon as it is received.