Environment Agency chief executive James Bevan has rejected a claim in an article published in The Guardian newspaper last week suggesting that he supports a plan to weaken river pollution rules.

Writing to The Guardian in response, Sir James said the article was wrong to say that he “endorsed a proposal to water down laws on cleanliness of polluted rivers, lakes and coastlines after Brexit”.

The EA chief said he as part of a speech entitled In Praise of Red Tape: Getting Regulation Right he had instead said that the Water Framework Directive was “a candidate for thoughtful reform to deliver even better outcomes”.

The letter says:

“I said we should have a debate about which bits of inherited EU environmental law we should keep or change; and that the test should be whether changing the law “will allow us to regulate better and achieve higher environmental standards”.

Sir James went on to point out he had also said “regulation is essential to protect the environment; that it works, which is why many of our rivers are cleaner than at any time since the Industrial Revolution; that it needs teeth, including in tackling water companies which pollute our waters; and that it should aim to enhance the environment, not just protect it.”

Click here to read The Guardian article Environment Agency chief supports plan to weaken river pollution rules

Click here to read Sir James Bevan speech In Praise of Red Tape: Getting Regulation Right