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Dirty Business S01E03 (2026) [Full Movie] [English Subs]Full EP - Full
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00:04I'm not sure if I'm going to go in.
00:06Really?
00:07Yeah.
00:08You'll be fine.
00:09Be cold.
00:10Drowning.
00:13Or maybe you try it for a bit.
00:15I'll go first.
00:18Looking good.
00:19Looking rough.
00:21Scaredy cat.
00:23I'm not sure.
00:24That's you.
00:38I'm not sure.
00:51No prints.
00:53Nothing taken or disturbed?
00:57No.
00:58Unfortunately, they're here.
00:59Unfortunately, they're here.
00:59I'm not sure they're here.
00:59The blood sample wasn't big enough for the lab to get a full DNA read.
01:05It's disappointing.
01:08Well, I really thought there was enough for a full sample.
01:12Apparently not.
01:14What about the glove mark?
01:15Not enough resolution for them to do anything with.
01:18You know, I took photos of the house right after the break-in.
01:23And nothing was touched?
01:24No.
01:26Or they put everything back in its place, which is what you would do if you were installing a listening
01:31device.
01:32I've applied for warrants to do exactly that.
01:34You're a copper?
01:34Serious Crime Squad. Covert Surveillance Unit. Counter-corruption.
01:38I'm innocent.
01:41Well, I mean, as you know, we've done a couple of sweeps.
01:49Nothing.
01:50No, me neither.
01:52So, um, there's not much more we can do.
01:57Okay.
01:59Okay.
02:23No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,
02:45no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,
02:46no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,
02:46no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,
02:46no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,
02:46no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no
02:59You've worked in surveillance, haven't you, for years,
03:01so you're telling me you can't actually see
03:04if they've got a new computer or not?
03:06No.
03:08I've done what I can to check, but you just can't tell now.
03:12You see, there's this incognito spyware
03:15runs a keylogger in the background,
03:16which means they can record every key you press,
03:18every mouse click,
03:19they can see the emails you write, your messages,
03:21your passwords, et cetera, everything.
03:23But they build it so you don't know it's there.
03:26What did the police say?
03:29Well, an officer came out,
03:31he took a sample of the blood,
03:32there was some blood on the handle downstairs,
03:36and he thought he could see a disposable glove mark in it,
03:38which means that whoever did it
03:40wants to make sure they're untraceable.
03:42He did think they could find a DNA result,
03:44and then nothing, nothing happens.
03:47What do you think this is?
03:49Anything they can find to discredit us?
03:52Something that would look good
03:54on the cover of the Daily Mail, for example.
03:56I mean, I can't think of anything that, you know, I mean...
03:59Well, you know what it is.
04:01What's that?
04:03It's the Free Jazz.
04:05If that gets out, we're fucked.
04:06Oh, fuck off.
04:08But who would want to discredit us, I don't know.
04:11Could it be a burglar who just got scared and legged it?
04:14Yeah, well, or he could have just seen
04:17Charlie's Hawaiian Cushions.
04:18Don't say that in front of Joe.
04:20I'm not going to do that, I don't know.
04:21I want to hang on to my balls.
04:24You know, the other day when this happened,
04:26the first thing I did
04:29was pick up the phone to you.
04:31Yeah, no, I did see it, yeah.
04:33You probably saw it.
04:34I hung up.
04:35Just to...
04:36Yeah, I just think that what we need now is we need, um...
04:41We need a whistleblower, don't we?
04:43And we need someone from inside the agency.
04:47And high up.
04:48From the top, you know.
04:51Eileen said that we must be making a difference.
04:53Did she?
04:54Yeah, she did.
04:55So, come on, let's, um...
04:57That's the point, isn't it?
04:58Yeah, we are.
04:58There's no point doing this unless we make a difference.
05:00No, let's keep going.
05:01Let's keep going and let's find that fucking whistleblower.
05:04Right.
05:04June 2019.
05:07Sir James Bevan Environment Agency.
05:10Dear Sir James,
05:11I'm writing to your office
05:12as I'm sure you will know where to direct the question.
05:14October 2019.
05:16Dear Sir James,
05:18I wrote to you to raise concerns
05:19about a serious integrity issue
05:21involving the agency.
05:23Dear Sir James,
05:2434 days have now passed
05:26since I sent you evidence.
05:27I've given up expecting a reply from you.
05:32Dear Ashley,
05:33I am in the receipt
05:36of your email
05:39to Sir James.
05:41Would you mind coming to our office
05:42and would the 19th
05:44suit?
05:55Is Sir James not coming?
05:56I'm afraid not.
05:58No, Sir James wouldn't routinely attend meetings
06:01at this kind of level.
06:02I'd hoped he'd be here.
06:04He's timeful.
06:06He's aware of your work.
06:07Well, we're trying to find out
06:09what you're going to do
06:10about the illegal
06:12sewage overflow at Borton.
06:14The combined storm overflow.
06:15The combined storm overflow
06:18at Borton has shown
06:18no detectable
06:19effects on the water quality.
06:21The water quality is stable
06:22and not deteriorating.
06:24I mean, our data shows
06:25very clearly
06:25that we have the best
06:26quality water
06:27since the Industrial Revolution.
06:31The water's turned brown.
06:32Yeah.
06:33It's turned so brown
06:35that when it joins
06:35the Thames at Newbridge
06:36it makes the Thames
06:37look like a Swiss mountain stream.
06:40The water is brown in places
06:43but that's a natural phenomenon.
06:45It's caused by geological faults.
06:47A geological fault?
06:48Yeah.
06:49Yeah.
06:49Sorry, a geological fault
06:51is millions of years old.
06:53We remember
06:54when the water was clear.
06:55No one remembers
06:56the good old days
06:57before the geological fault.
06:58In the last 12 months
07:00since we installed sensors
07:01there's been no evidence
07:02of pollution.
07:03Well, that's because
07:03you've installed the monitors
07:04upstream from the sewage pipes.
07:06Now, is that incompetence
07:08or an attempt
07:09to cover up a scandal?
07:10No, no.
07:10The agency would never
07:11position a monitor
07:12to achieve a particular reading.
07:14We are working extremely hard
07:15to transform the environment.
07:16We've improved
07:17and protected something like
07:18I think it's 15,000
07:20kilometres of river.
07:21It's like
07:22that you've had 92
07:25complaints from the general public
07:26about sewage pollution.
07:27That's just the wind rush.
07:29I've actually got the breakdown here.
07:32Yeah, yeah.
07:35In, well, in 36 of those cases
07:37there was no offence
07:39and in 39
07:41there was insufficient evidence
07:44and in 6
07:45we were unable
07:47to identify the offender.
07:48Well, what do you mean
07:49you couldn't identify the offenders?
07:51Why can't you identify the offenders?
07:52There's seven sewage works
07:54along the wind rush
07:54that are all run by Thames Water.
07:56I mean, you say
07:57you've got insufficient evidence
07:58but we keep giving you
07:59the evidence.
08:00All we ever do
08:01is give you the evidence
08:02and all we get back
08:02is it's under investigation.
08:04And then nothing,
08:06nothing,
08:07nothing ever happens.
08:09In exceptional circumstances
08:10for example
08:11after heavy rain
08:13the sewage systems
08:14are allowed to overflow.
08:15No, no, no, no.
08:17You see, that's not
08:17that's not the law.
08:18The law is that
08:19in all normal
08:20climatic conditions
08:21including heavy rainfall
08:23the water companies
08:24have to treat the sewage.
08:25They have to make it safe
08:26before they put it
08:27back into the river.
08:29The law is a grey area.
08:30No, no, it's not a grey area
08:32with respect.
08:33It's the law.
08:33Sorry, can I?
08:35Sorry.
08:37Thames is their own data.
08:40It shows they stopped
08:42treating sewage
08:43at North Leach
08:44for more than three months.
08:46Now, they told us
08:47that their sensors
08:49have broken down
08:50but we think they're lying.
08:54They're lying.
08:55So why would they do that?
08:57Why would they lie to you?
09:12Doors are clinging in.
09:18We're pretentking regulators.
09:22Sorry?
09:24The regulation isn't real.
09:27The government wants us
09:28to look like a regulator
09:29but they won't let us do our job okay when cameron and trust gutted the agency
09:37we went from regulating the industry to doing its bidding
09:41do you think we could take your number look just keep going
09:47this is going to be the first government in modern history that at the end of its
09:52parliamentary term has less regulation in place than there was at the beginning we've now identified
09:58those 3 000 regulations that we're going to scrap let's reduce the amount and the burden of
10:03regulation strangled by retaining back uh the health and safety model guidance by 80 percent
10:08and we reduce farm inspections by 34 000 every year regulations will none of my ministers could
10:14introduce a regulation unless they abolished one at the same time massively reduce the number of rules
10:19laws and regulations that frankly treat all of you like idiots
10:27so really it's about stripping out as much unnecessary regulation as possible and taking
10:34responsibility for climate change and saying what more can we do to get us to net zero as you know
10:41this is a passion project for sir james who feels that we can bring our car usage down by 70
10:50percent
10:50yeah it's yeah so from next month we're going to be taking the bold decision to cut back decisively on
11:00our car leases
11:04yeah sorry just like to clarify what you you're going to get rid of our cars so it's about reducing
11:14the
11:14agency's carbon footprint just getting that yeah go ahead hannah the cars that we drive to the
11:22inspections in right yeah so so self-monitoring and and a more desk-based regulation is really it's really
11:30helping us move the needle on climate change
11:35what the room the remaining inspections yeah how do we get to those without a car yeah
11:45it's a great question it's a really great question and we'll take that forward to the next discussion
11:50meeting thanks hannah yeah lovely thanks everyone not easy news to break is it yeah it's a surprise
11:56debbie's got something to say i know i know i know but my car everyone's driving cars we're the
12:01environment agency absolutely what's wrong with the train i'll keep mine i think so yeah yeah
12:08does anybody know what we're looking at anybody okay could you tell me what the reactants are
12:17so if you move your head even slightly the vertical gets more intense yeah and the attacks happening
12:23maybe twice a week about that yeah
12:29the good news is that you don't have cancer we actually think it's meniere's it's a disease of
12:35the inner ear the main symptom is acute vertical episodes vomiting tinnitus it's a pretty neat fit with
12:44your presentation
12:48they were dumping sewage in the water uh the last time before i got sick right uh you know that
12:56from
12:56the surface against sewage app okay
13:01might that be the causes are unclear it's post viral this often starts with an ear infection you know
13:07they're common in surfers yeah every surfer i know this is a chronic condition i'm afraid there's no cure
13:30so
13:39Should we leave the table away?
13:42Just hold his back.
14:08So, by ending on-site inspections into categories 3 and 4, no or low-impact pollution events, and doubling down
14:17on the more serious category 1 and 2 incidents, we think we can turn ourselves into a more effective fighting
14:26unit.
14:26So, from today, we are ending on-site inspections for cats 3 and 4.
14:32Any questions?
14:34Well, yeah. A category 3 incident can be two kilometres of sewage.
14:43We want you to not inspect, to not spend time on these incidents.
14:49Except that, since the water companies have been self-reporting, they almost always only report categories 3s and 4s.
14:59So, they're not actually reporting serious incidents.
15:01And so, if the water companies are only reporting 3s and 4s, and we're no longer allowed to investigate...
15:08So, what exactly are we going to be doing?
15:11I've told the government, you get the regulation you pay for, we no longer have the money to go on
15:16inspecting low-grade pollution events.
15:19We need you to shut down these reports as unsubstantiated, or to silently pass them, and to not report them
15:26as pollution incidents.
15:28Is that clear?
15:33Yeah.
15:34Yeah.
15:34Thanks, everyone.
15:35You're on with your day?
15:36Yeah.
15:47We had to fuck.
15:49Fucking wankers.
15:50How are you going to get to fucking work?
15:52Fuck nice.
15:55Horseback.
16:03What time did he call you?
16:05I passed 10 last night.
16:08Said he couldn't miss it.
16:20Oh, my God, look at it.
16:26We'll get some shots and we'll call the agency on the way back.
16:43We'll call the agency on the way back.
16:51How do we call him one day.
16:53There he is.
17:02This is his public contract, huh?
17:03He misses everyone's hearing that.
17:04There should be one day.
17:04Then the agency will sacrifice all to love.
17:09And his라고 has all been seen.
17:09I'm I'm optimistic.
17:19I don't know.
17:52Debbie, are you driving into work tomorrow?
17:55Yeah, obviously. How else would I get in?
17:56Well, can I borrow your car at lunchtime?
18:00What for?
18:02Someone keeps calling up and complaining about the same incident.
18:06It's near the bridge at Hawkrise, so I'm going to go and take a look.
18:11Okay.
18:11A bit of freelance investigation.
18:13A bit of freelance, and also he needs to be off the books.
18:17And I need you to promise me not to tell Sophie.
18:21I'm going to tell Sophie.
18:22I'm going to tell Sophie.
18:23Obviously not. Why would I tell Sophie anything?
18:25Sophie.
18:52Hi
18:54Hi, is that Justine?
18:57Hi, Justine
18:59It's Hannah from the Environment Agency
19:03Listen, it's about the pollution event at Hawkrise
19:09It came through the system at a duration of 1.34 hours
19:13And I'm here now
19:14And it's still going
19:18Yeah, yeah, I'm here now, yeah
19:22The CSO's still discharging untreated sewage
19:26I mean, there's a section of the river that is covered over with dried sewage
19:31I mean, these dead fish, you can see them from the footpath
19:34I mean, you're going to get more complaints
19:36You need to sort this
19:42Can you prepare and cook a simple meal unaided?
19:47Yeah, but not when I'm having an attack
19:51Then I can't do anything, I can't move
19:53Can you eat and drink unaided?
19:56Yeah, but again, not when I'm having an attack
20:01I've been getting the attacks every few days for the past six months
20:05But if you're not having one of your attacks, can you eat and drink unaided?
20:09Yeah, but...
20:10Yes or no is fine
20:12Yes
20:15Can you dress and undress unaided?
20:20It's the same answer
20:22Moving on to the mobility section of this assessment
20:25Can you plan and follow a journey unaided?
20:31Yeah, but not when I'm having an attack
20:33Stand and move for 200 metres
20:37Not when I'm having an attack
20:39Well, you know, can you move around, walk for 200 metres?
20:42Of course I can, but not when I'm having an attack
20:44Okay
20:45Thank you, Mr Santa
20:46Your total score for the daily living part of the assessment is zero points
20:50Your total score for the mobility section is zero points
20:54When you're not having an attack, you're able to do all the tasks I asked you about
20:58That's the thing with my condition is that sometimes
21:01You can
21:02I can do these things and other times I can't
21:04And when I can't, I can't
21:06I can't award you a personal independence payment
21:08I don't know what to do
21:09If you need further guidance about how to appeal
21:12You can use the web chat to get some help
21:15If you cannot access the web chat, you can contact the benefits appeal helpline on 0300
21:22One...
21:31Hannah
21:32Sorry, sorry
21:33I didn't mean to scare you
21:34Do you have a second?
21:36Can I have a word?
21:36Of course
21:37Yeah, okay
21:38So I've just, I just got off the phone to Justine Wright-Phillips at the water company
21:42Yeah
21:43Yeah, she said, she said you called her
21:45Yeah, I
21:46Yeah, you
21:47I did
21:48Okay, she said you called her from the site
21:51Well, I saw that it had been logged on the system for the fifth time
21:54And people kept calling up complaining
21:56And nobody was doing anything about it, so
21:57We don't have the revenue to be investigating Category 3
22:03It's not a Category 3, Sophie
22:06The river is dried over with excrement
22:08You can see it from...
22:09Yeah, so that's what I wanted to talk to you about
22:11So Justine says that the dispersal rate in that area is really high
22:15Is it?
22:17Yeah, she says there's like a strong current and a high dispersal rate of the untreated surge
22:20The overflow pipe has been discharging for over 36 hours
22:23And it is still going
22:24All right, that's untreated
22:25That is the water company's responsibility to report to us
22:29You know this
22:32Okay, and Justine says that actually really
22:34The, um, because of the high dispersal rate
22:37That it should come down to a Category 4
22:41Be a Category 4
22:42Yes
22:43Right
22:43Mm-hmm
22:46So, no impact on the environment
22:49No action needed
22:50Yes
22:52Mm-hmm
22:56Oh, you want me to change it on the system?
22:58Could you?
22:58Could you?
22:59Yeah?
23:00Okay, thanks so much
23:01Thank you
23:02That's great
23:03Lovely
23:12So, you see how well we're doing?
23:13Yeah, of course
23:14What are you joking?
23:16I'm not joking
23:17You know SROIC?
23:19No, what's that?
23:21Strategic review of incident charges
23:22Yeah, it's like what we charge the clients for permits
23:25So, we don't have clients, Cheryl
23:27We're an environment agency
23:29Yes, sorry, yes
23:30We don't have clients
23:31But, Sir James has put the prices up, yeah
23:35And I'm talking like up, up
23:37Big time
23:39Well, he's charging the water companies more
23:41Yep
23:42Well, they must
23:43Surely they've gone down to the government
23:44Like, lobbying them, going mad
23:46Yeah, getting the charges taken down
23:47No
23:48Not a peep
23:49Not a, not a peep
23:51Sorry, they're just paying it
23:53We've basically had such a high revenue spike, yeah
23:57That we are on our way to becoming a client-funded regulator
24:03Sorry, wait, hold on one minute
24:05This is going a bit
24:06So, you're saying that the water companies are funding the environment agency
24:12Wow
24:13That's what you're
24:13You see the issues there
24:16You can't be serious
24:17A client-funded regulator
24:22Amazing, isn't it?
24:22How can that even be a thing?
24:25It's a thing
24:26Well, hold on, because literally
24:28The other day, Sir James said
24:30That you get the regulation that you pay for
24:32Yeah
24:32That we haven't got the money
24:34To do the investigations that we used to do
24:36We're not
24:37Nobody's paying for them
24:38Okay
24:38That's your area, isn't it?
24:40I mean
24:41All I know is that
24:43We have got more cash than we've ever had before
24:47Just making conversation
24:51I've got the job
24:53Hostman?
24:54Mm-hmm
24:54No?
24:54Yeah
24:55Did you?
24:55Yeah
24:55Oh my god
24:57Yeah, really good timing
25:00Uh-huh
25:01Because I did two pregnancy tests this morning
25:05What?
25:06And, yeah, I'm pregnant
25:08What?
25:09Yeah
25:09Pregnant
25:10No
25:11Yeah
25:11Yeah
25:12I sort of just had a funny feeling
25:14And then, yeah
25:16Did one test
25:17Two lines
25:18And then I did another test
25:20And it said two lines
25:21And I was like
25:23Fuck
25:32I'm Susan Davey
25:35I am the CEO of Southwest Water
25:37Yeah, basically the wet weather events
25:39Overflow
25:40Put a strain on our Victorian networks
25:42And unfortunately we have a Victorian sewage system which we have inherited
25:48And that means things do go wrong
25:51Did you say Victorian sewage network?
25:5312%?
25:5512%?
25:5612%?
25:57What's 12%?
25:5812% of the sewage system is Victorian
26:00Well, what do they tell you?
26:02They knew that the whole of the system was Victorian
26:05So that meant that the investment would be so high
26:08That it'd be impossible to actually fix it all
26:11Bollocks
26:12Shall I tell you what stopped it?
26:14When privatisation came in
26:16They just stopped spending
26:17After the war they kept upgrading
26:19Then after privatisation came in
26:21They just stopped
26:23Not just Thames
26:24All of them
26:266% new plants is privatisation
26:296%?
26:306%
26:31Is that all?
26:31You know what would be good?
26:32If we could maybe come and visit one of the works
26:35I don't know about that
26:36Well
26:36I'll have to see
26:37That's honestly
26:38Because even just doing this
26:40I feel a bit nervous
26:42Fucking London Stadium
26:43That's not a proper stadium
26:44Fucking massive
26:45Upton Park
26:46Now that was a proper stadium, mate
26:48London Stadium is too big
26:49You fucking binoculars
26:50Do you know what I mean?
26:52Sorry Pete, did you want to see an EDM?
26:54Oh yes, yes, that's fine
26:55Well remembered
26:56So this is an event duration monitor
26:59Now we fitted one of these on every sewage pipe in England
27:03In 2012, right, the coalition government
27:06They ordered all the water companies
27:08To record how much time they spend dumping raw sewage
27:12These little units
27:13They measure how much poo goes into the river by hours
27:15Management have been dragging their feet for 8 years now
27:19But we're finally getting most of it in now
27:22And the agency, they've got to publish the numbers
27:24They have to, by law
27:26They're not going to like it
27:27But tough shit
27:30EDMs
27:31Yes, so we are finalising plans for the statutory publication of the EDM numbers
27:44As you know, there have been some technical delays
27:48But it looks like they're almost ready
27:52And they're going to come as a bit of a shock
27:56The data is going to show that the water companies discharged raw sewage 400,000 times in 2020
28:06That's 1,100 times a day
28:10For a total of 3.1 million hours
28:17That's a bit of a shocker
28:18Can I just say that since operator self-monitoring
28:23We've had to rely on the water companies to report back to us
28:27I think that the key here is that this doesn't get framed as a failure of regulation
28:32That would be quite wrong
28:35And I think managing comms on this is going to be key
28:38And we are working actively with the water companies to bear doubt on the problem
28:46But that's 1,100 criminal offences a day
28:50Well, that's actually, that's debatable
28:52Because that depends on the terms of the permits
28:54And the circumstances around each spill
28:57Yeah, and we know the legislation permits discharging after heavy rainfall
29:01No, no, it doesn't
29:03Sorry, Hannah
29:04The law doesn't say that you can just dump sewage after heavy rain
29:09It says that in all normal, climatic and seasonal circumstances
29:12The water companies have to treat the sewage
29:16Not just dump it
29:17It's not the agency's job to adjudicate legal matters
29:20I mean, this is actually a matter for the courts
29:22No, no, no, this is our job
29:25It's our job to enforce the law
29:28Yeah
29:29That's what we're here to do
29:35Can you, um, you
29:37Did you want to?
29:37No, no, you finish off here, Sophie
29:41Thank you
29:43So we've identified the problem and now we work on the problem
29:45Yeah
29:46Which is reframing and owning the narrative
29:48Yeah, we don't want this to get misconstrued as some sort of failure on our part
29:51Because it just isn't
29:52Thanks so much
29:54Thanks
29:56Cool
29:57Lovely
29:57Thanks, guys
29:58Thanks so much
29:59By the way, um
30:02So
30:03I've heard you're going to give evidence in Parliament
30:05Yes
30:05Yes, amazing
30:07Yeah, I think you're bad
30:09What does that mean, thinking about it?
30:11He's, uh, he's nervous
30:12No, I'm not nervous
30:14He's nervous
30:14No, it's not that I'm nervous
30:16I want to do it
30:17It's just
30:18It's difficult
30:19Don't worry about it
30:20I'll do it
30:21Yeah
30:21We're counting on you
30:22We are really counting on you
30:23And you can explain it in a scientific way
30:25You're going to come across brilliantly
30:26They're going to believe you, mate
30:27Well, it
30:30It's not really as simple as that
30:31I mean
30:32The boys from Ogden called me earlier, right?
30:34They told me that they dumped two billion litres of sewage in the Thames over two days
30:40Environment Agency haven't got a scooby
30:42Did they send you the data?
30:43I've got the data, yeah
30:44Can you send that to us?
30:45I will send it to you
30:46We're not going to let you down
30:47Please, you can do this
30:49Come on, Pete
30:52You're a legend, mate
30:53Come on
31:03We now have the lowest number of serious pollution incidents from water companies that we have yet recorded
31:11More water companies are now at the highest level of performance, what we call four-star performance
31:19We now have the lowest number of serious pollution incidents from water companies that we have yet recorded
31:54I'm an environment officer at the agency
31:56I investigate sewage pollution
32:01When I first joined
32:04It wasn't a job to get rich on
32:07I could see I was making a difference
32:12Corporations want to make money
32:13We make sure that they don't poison the rivers doing it
32:16We could investigate, prosecute, whatever it took
32:22But then they told the companies that they could regulate themselves
32:27Let's operate a self-monitoring
32:29Exactly
32:31Then came the Cameron cuts, then the trust cuts
32:35They laid off investigators, slashed prosecutions
32:39I mean, they even took our cars off of us so we couldn't visit pollution sites
32:42So all these cuts meant you couldn't do your job properly?
32:46That's not it
32:49In 2021, Sir James hiked the prices the water companies paid for their permits
32:55It was called charge-funded regulation
32:58We get 96 million from the government
33:00We are now pulling in 411 million from charges
33:06All these cuts, they're just a smoke screen
33:10We're swimming in cash
33:14I am doing this because I know that it is wrong
33:16And it has ruined my whole working life
33:23Good luck
33:37Right
33:40Fucking hell
33:42What should we do?
33:43Well, first we read them
33:46And then I think we should call some journalists
33:50The Environment Agency has refused to comment on whether agency directors
33:55Currently hold shares in UK water companies
33:58The agency claimed it would break data protection laws if it disclosed the information
34:03Environment Agency chiefs secretly held a series of private dinners with water company bosses
34:08At the Royal Automobile Club in central London
34:11Documents released under the Freedom of Information Act showed the meetings were held
34:16To discuss how to quell public anger over sewage
34:19As the sewage scandal deepens, Environment Agency CEO Sir James Bevan has been called to give evidence to a parliamentary
34:26committee
34:27Well, we need to talk about what we say in public
34:29And the responsibilities we have
34:33You have a duty not to openly criticise or discredit the organisation in the media or on social media
34:43Or to disclose confidential information to anyone not authorised to receive it
34:51If your comments, inside or outside work, impact on the agency's reputation by making derogatory comments about the organisation
34:59Or your managers
35:00Or you make comments that bring the organisation into disrepute
35:04You may be subject to disciplinary action
35:08And in more serious cases
35:11Dismissal
35:13Thank you
35:27Thank you
35:28You'll be fine
35:31Leave the toilet
35:34I'm alright
35:35I need a bloody toilet
35:36Do you want a pie?
35:39What does that mean?
35:42Well, uhm
35:43My garden is
35:46An island
35:47which the Windrush wraps around.
35:52I've watched it closely for 18 years
35:55and I watched the water turn brown.
35:58I led a team of scientists
36:00using a machine learning analysis
36:03of two sewage treatment works run by Tense Water.
36:07One of those works, the Environment Agency said
36:11over 10 years, only two pollution incidents
36:15have been reported.
36:16Our machine learning analysis
36:21showed hundreds of illegal spills.
36:26More than 300 lasted 24 hours
36:29and some longer than 10 days
36:34and some for a month.
36:37Have you shown this evidence to the Environment Agency?
36:40Well, we are. I've shown the evidence many times.
36:43What usually happens is that they...
36:47they say that they show a sign of interest
36:50but then nothing happens.
36:54We work very closely with Professor Hammond
36:58of Windrush against sewage pollution.
37:01We have a regular and very fruitful dialogue with him.
37:06You worked closely with Professor Hammond?
37:09He and Ashley Smith sent you at least 13 emails
37:14detailing evidence of illegal sewage dumping.
37:17He published five evidence reports
37:20documenting water company criminality,
37:23all of which were sent to you or your senior colleagues.
37:26They invited you to come and look at the river in 2019
37:31and the following year sent you an email with the heading
37:35Environment Agency complicit in lawbreaking.
37:45They never heard back.
37:46You never once replied in five years.
37:51How did you manage to work so closely with Professor Hammond
37:54when you never once spoke to him?
37:56At the Thames Water Modern Treatment Works,
37:59there was a spill of 240 Olympic swimming pools of sewage
38:06in a single day.
38:08The existing monitoring failed to pick that up.
38:11Now, why was that?
38:13There will always be times when something happens,
38:17usually accidentally.
38:19But if we find that a water company has breached its permit,
38:24we will take appropriate action.
38:26Does appropriate action include prosecuting water company executives?
38:30Prosecution is a very high bar, but...
38:34Where we think that's appropriate, we wouldn't hesitate.
38:38Did you prosecute in this case?
38:40No.
38:42Have you ever prosecuted any water company executives?
38:45No, but if we thought the evidence warranted it,
38:50we wouldn't hesitate.
38:53Last year, you told this committee
38:54that you became aware of sewage dumping in May 2021.
38:58Yes.
38:58But three weeks after that,
39:01you told the committee that the water companies were improving
39:03and that more of them were getting four out of four stars.
39:08Why were you telling the committee
39:10that the water companies were doing a four-star job?
39:15Well, you've quoted everything I said.
39:20I think I stand by everything I said.
39:23I think you'll find them mutually consistent.
39:28The agency's job is to make sure
39:31the water companies obey the criminal law,
39:34but it doesn't do it,
39:35and the water companies do whatever they want.
39:38The alleged crimes of their directors
39:40are never prosecuted.
39:44They've built criminality into their business models
39:47because pollution is highly profitable
39:49and repeat offending has no consequences.
39:53Therefore,
39:54in the light of the remarkable absence
39:56of any counter-corruption measures,
39:58we demand an investigation
40:00into the Environment Agency.
40:05The key test for me on regulation...
40:07Less regulation!
40:08Is it something that enables the builders,
40:10not the blockers?
40:11Cut guidance by 80%.
40:13We've also got to look at regulation.
40:15Regulations will go...
40:17...and where it is needlessly holding back the investment.
40:19Reduce the amount and the burden of regulation.
40:22Rip out the bureaucracy that blocks investment.
40:25Northumbria and Water recorded 30.1 spills per overflow
40:28over the course of 2023.
40:31280,000 hours and change in total.
40:35The chief executive, Heidi Mottram,
40:38received a bonus of £234,000 that year.
40:43Why did you take football tickets
40:45from the parent company?
40:48Well, I didn't.
40:49OK.
40:50C.K. Hutchins Holdings
40:51owns 75% of Chong Kong Infrastructure Holdings,
40:54the owner of Northumbria and Water.
40:56And you declared £2,000
40:58in football tickets and hospitality.
41:00On that occasion,
41:01there was nobody from a water company
41:03that was involved in offering those tickets.
41:06There was nobody from a water company
41:07at that event.
41:08I wouldn't have known that.
41:10They weren't present.
41:11You said that these sort of people
41:13should potentially be in the dock
41:15if they have been willing to break the rules.
41:17You took £2,000 in tickets and hospitality
41:20for a football match
41:21from bosses linked to that company
41:23that polluted that water.
41:25Why should people in Northumbria
41:26think that you're fit for the dock?
41:28Well, I certainly wouldn't have known that.
41:29And judge me by what I did.
41:30Why not?
41:30Judge me by what I did.
41:31No, that is what you did.
41:44Environment Minister Steve Reid
41:46is pursuing legal action
41:48against a group of anglers
41:49trying to restore the ecosystem
41:51of their local river
41:53on the grounds
41:54that cleaning up individual rivers
41:56is administratively unworkable.
41:59Concerns are being raised
42:00about the number of leading labour figures
42:02with links to lobbying firms
42:03working for water companies.
42:05Among the invited guests
42:06at the government's
42:07international investment summit
42:09was Macquarie Bank.
42:10Described as the vampire kangaroo
42:13by critics,
42:14Macquarie presided over
42:16the near collapse of Thames Water,
42:17leaving it £10 billion in debt
42:19after having illegally dumped
42:21billions of litres of raw sewage.
42:40Reuben?
42:44Reuben?
42:48I know I can't be left alone with her.
42:54Privatised water is a better deal
42:57than nationalised water.
42:58Come on, Blue.
42:59That the water privatisation,
43:01I believe,
43:02will go very successfully indeed.
43:05That will go very successfully indeed.
43:07And perhaps, therefore,
43:08we have better wait and see
43:09so that we can participate
43:11in the light of the facts.
43:13How did it come to this?
43:16How did it happen
43:19that England is the only place
43:22in the whole world
43:24whose water system
43:25is wholly privatised?
43:29That our seas and our rivers
43:32are full of shite?
43:35I just feel like we're trying
43:37to bring down
43:38England's biggest organised crime syndicate.
43:43I mean, they're not the mafia,
43:46these water companies.
43:47They're not a drugs cartel,
43:48but they do dump sewage
43:51a thousand times a day.
43:53And almost all of those
43:55are illegal.
43:57And the cash
43:58they've accumulated,
44:01£145 billion
44:02since privatisation,
44:05and they've got that
44:05because they seem to have built
44:07criminality
44:08into their business models.
44:11So they are like
44:13an organised crime syndicate.
44:16And the CEOs
44:17and the owners
44:19are like crime bosses.
44:21I mean, they don't murder people,
44:23obviously.
44:24They're not assassins.
44:28But me and Peter
44:29are sitting here
44:30waiting
44:30for these crime lords
44:33to put things right.
44:35And
44:37if we leave them
44:38to their own devices,
44:40they never will.
44:43They never will.
44:46We've put the things
44:47that we own
44:48and care about
44:50together,
44:51we've put them
44:52into the hands
44:53of financial speculators,
44:54whose job it is
44:56is just
44:56to make money.
44:58We need to put the people
45:00who care
45:00in charge.
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