Following his visit to Maldon Water Recycling Centre, John helped to organise and took part in a public meeting in Maldon Town Hall on the Future of the Blackwater Estuary. The meeting was chaired by Town Mayor Cllr Andrew Lay and other speakers were Dr Robin Price of Anglian Water, Hattie Phillips, a student at the Plume School and Environmental Campaigner, Feargal Sharkey OBE. In the course of the meeting, concern was also expressed about the discharge of effluent at Beeleigh from a pipe owned by Essex and Suffolk Water.
John said:
“The meeting was very helpful in explaining the situation regarding sewage discharges and their effect on the water quality in the Blackwater Estuary. It was great that Feargal Sharkey attended and that Hattie Phillips spoke on behalf of young people.
I very much welcome Anglian Water’s willingness to engage and their recognition that more investment is needed. This contrasts with the attitude of the Environment Agency who declined my invitation to attend.
I have also followed up the issue raised at the meeting of the discharge from a pipe at Beeleigh and have written to both Essex and Suffolk Water and Anglian Water to establish what this consists of and who is responsible.”
