Heavy rainfall from Storm Dennis adds to fears of potential breach at Plaistow lagoon

The ‘torrential rain’ from recent storms has reignited concerns that a large lagoon brimming with organic waste could collapse and contaminate the local area.
A photo, taken by an anonymous resident, appears to show rainwater collected ontop of the lagoonA photo, taken by an anonymous resident, appears to show rainwater collected ontop of the lagoon
A photo, taken by an anonymous resident, appears to show rainwater collected ontop of the lagoon

Councillor Gareth Evans said Lagoon 3 was currently at ‘an absolute critical level’ with ‘an alarming quantity of water accumulated on top’ following Storm Dennis and Storm Ciara.

As a result, the pressure on the walls of the bund was ‘now immense’, he said.

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Lagoon 3, which is located on land that was previously part of Crouchlands Farm in Plaistow, contains 53,000 cubic metres of digestate – a liquid and solid material which is the by-product of an anaerobic biodigester plant.

Councillor Gareth Evans in PlaistowCouncillor Gareth Evans in Plaistow
Councillor Gareth Evans in Plaistow

An Environment Agency spokesman has previously said it was not believed to be ‘hazardous waste’, but said there were ‘hazards that come with the waste’.

In a report last year, the Environment Agency said it was concerned about the ‘structural integrity’ of the lagoon – and said there was a risk the containment could fail.

The fire service confirmed in November that a ‘comprehensive, multi-agency plan’ for the site had been developed to support an emergency response in the event that one was required.

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But Mr Evans said he was not satisfied the emergency plan would protect the community.

According to him, the plan depends on a structure which was demolished back in October.

It also relies on damming at properties around the lagoon, but Mr Evans said at least two landowners had not been asked or informed about this.

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“The only copies of an Emergency Plan that we have seen seem to depend on either a demolished structure or on the permission from people who have never been asked,” he said.

He also criticised what he said was the ‘chaotic’ communication of the plan, which he said he had to obtain via a Freedom of Information Act, as none of the parish councils of the villages affected had seen a copy of it.

He said: “If Lagoon 3 collapsed, the digestate liquid would then travel over the land and down the water courses to the rivers and the sea and would be a serious threat to properties, farmland and families living in the area as well as to the river and marine biodiversity.”

The Environment Agency said a notice had been served to the landowner to ensure they removed the waste.

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In the interim, the notice also requires the landowner to safely maintain the lagoon to prevent leakage of the waste.

The spokesman said: “We are aware that following the recent heavy rainfall the lagoon has filled with water and we have made the landowner aware of the situation.

“We are working with our professional partners on the local resilience forum to review the joint incident response plan which we will update accordingly.”

A spokesman for Chichester District Council said the agencies concerned had issued advice to the local parish council, outlining the actions that had been taken.

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The spokesman said: “A joint site visit by incident plan partners was undertaken on 30 January 2020 when Lagoon 3 was inspected.

“The initial findings showed that the risk of loss of containment of the digestate waste in Lagoon 3 has not changed from the previous multi-agency site visit last year.

“The partners are subsequently gathering data from the inspection to update the incident plan.”

The spokesman added: “It remains the responsibility of the landowner to manage Lagoon 3 and to remove the digestate without causing pollution or harm.

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“The council has successfully taken planning enforcement action against the owners of the lagoon to secure the removal of the material on the site, although it will take some time for the owners to safely remove it.

“However, we want to assure residents that we will continue to work closely with our partners to make sure that this is achieved as safely and quickly as possible.”

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