Walsall chemical culprit revealed
Plus, is free speech under threat?
Good morning readers, and welcome to your Thursday briefing. Good luck to everyone expecting their A-Level results today!
In the news, an Environment Agency investigation into the firm that caused the toxic chemical waste spill in Walsall is ongoing — and it’s not the first time the company has been in trouble. More on that below, along with other top notes for this overcast Thursday.
Brum in brief
🧪Walsall waste spill: The UK’s largest metal finishing firm caused the toxic chemical waste spill in Walsall. Anochrome Ltd. on Reservoir Place in Pleck, Walsall is under investigation by the Environment Agency (EA) to establish the cause of the spill and is testing the water for sodium cyanide and other chemicals. The public has been warned to avoid the area from the Walsall lock flight to the lock flights at Rushall/Ryders Green and Perry Barr. An EA spokesperson said pollution of this kind is “unacceptable” and can have a “severe” impact on wildlife and the environment. “We will take robust enforcement action if non-compliance is uncovered.”
It’s not the first time Anochrome has been in trouble. In 2012, the company was fined £7,000 for pumping trade waste into public sewers which Severn Trent said risked “causing harm to the environment”.
When The Dispatch visited Pleck yesterday, there were police, several non-uniformed members of the armed forces and staff from Highways England guarding the entryways to the canal. They are expected to be in place throughout today.
Do you live in Pleck or have any information on the spillage or Anochrome Ltd? We’d love to chat. Please get in touch at editor@birminghamdispatch.co.uk
⚖️‘Not guilty’ pleads man in fake AK-47 video: A man accused of possessing a fake AK-47 assault rifle in a video posted to social media has pleaded not guilty. Habeeb Khan, 49, of Sparkbrook also denies sending a communication threatening death or serious harm, between 4-6 August in the video uploaded to X, in the wake of rumours the ‘English Defence League (EDL)’ were planning to go to East Birmingham. He is due to stand trial on 18 November.
👮New police station for Stourbridge: The location of Stourbridge’s new police station has been revealed. About 60 officers, covering Stourbridge and Lye, will be based in the former office block Copthall House on New Road, not far from the old station which closed in 2017. Dudley’s response team will also be based there. Newly elected Labour MP for Stourbridge Cat Eccles said: “People want a visible police presence to make them feel safe and having our local teams based here instead of Brierley Hill will make a huge difference.”
Media pick: Birmingham-born, ex-Twitter boss Bruce Daisley has written an opinion piece for the Guardian on tech platforms and free speech, in the wake of Elon Musk’s interventions into British politics. He writes: “It was clear from my eight years at the platform that there is something lost in translation between British interpretations of free speech and the arguments parroted by those who adopt a US libertarian interpretation of the concept.”
🎶Head to Oikos Cafe for an Evening of Creativity tomorrow night and you’ll see an eclectic range of performances including Iranian singer-songwriter Naser and DJs Mortimer Brothers. Tickets available from £4.
Correction: An earlier version of this article suggested police officers covering ‘Lyle’ will be based at the new station in Stourbridge. We meant Lye and this has been corrected.
A fine of £7000 for previously polluting the water is stupidly low and no deterrent for the firm Anachrome Ltd. which is a large firm. I hope this time it is 100 times that amount at least, and to cover the cost of the police and EA staff who have had to deal with the cyanide spill, over 12 miles of canal. The sight of all the dead fish on the TV was heart breaking, and will impact on the birds that feed on the fish if they haven't already been killed themselves. And that cyanide will continue to flow beyond the 12 miles albeit more and more diluted but it won't take much to kill the tiny organisms in the water. Anahrome should be shut down until they take all necessary action to prevent spills ever happening again.
i followed your media pick link. what an interesting article. thank you for pointing it out. So UK could do something to curb online media excess but will we????