Written questions

Water: Pollution

Commons · Question 13212 · Tabled 8 Nov 2024 · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs · Official record

Answered 20 Nov 2024

Question

Asked by Sir Julian Smith

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to update its policy guidance on metal mine pollution to reflect the primary risk from sediment contamination in river channels and floodplains.

Answer

Answered by Emma Hardy, 20 Nov 2024

There is no specific policy guidance on metal mine pollution. The Environment Agency (EA) considers the primary risk from abandoned metal mines to be pollution of rivers and estuaries, with around 1,500km of rivers polluted by metals. The government has a...