Diane Morcom 〓〓 me-retweet

A barrister is facing a criminal record and even prison after he pulled 200 bags of rubbish from a section of the River Roding in Barking
Paul Powlesland aged 40 a barrister and environmentalist organized volunteers to clear 200 bags of rubbish including needles and weapons from a polluted section of the River Roding in Barking east London in March 2026 using a hired digger.
The Environment Agency sent him a letter alleging he carried out works without an environmental permit launching an investigation under the Environmental Permitting Regulations with potential penalties of up to two years in prison.
Powlesland said this river will be restored they now have a clear choice they can fight me and all the other amazing volunteers doing the work or they can get on board and help us and become the good guys in this.
He added we have got irises and reed beds coming back I saw fish in there for the first time a couple of weeks ago dragonflies and herons returning with the whole ecosystem coming back to life.
The EA said they welcome communities taking steps to improve their local environment but insisted undertaking work without the appropriate permits is not acceptable to prevent unintended harm to flood risk drainage or the wider environment.
Powlesland vowed to continue his clean up efforts criticizing the need for licences for volunteer work and pointing to an upstream Thames Water sewage outlet as a source of pollution.


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