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Volunteer Under Investigation for Cleaning Polluted River Without a License, Faces Two Years in Prison (futurism.com)
submitted 3 days ago by Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/aboringdystopia@lemmy.world
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[-] Baguette 46 points 2 days ago

Working over ten days, they hired an excavator costing roughly £1,000 and cleared a heavily polluted 250 metre stretch of Alders Brook, a tributary of the River Roding in Barking, East London.

https://www.indiatimes.com/trending/who-is-paul-powlesland-uk-lawyer-who-removed-200-bags-of-river-waste-now-faces-up-to-2-years-in-prison-over-permit-dispute/articleshow/131881504.html

The main issue is that he used heavy machinery for cleanup. If it was by hand it probably wouldn't have resulted in any legal matter

Is 2 years ridiculous? Probably. But using an excavator for cleaning is definitely not a smart move for someone who's a lawyer

For reference an excavator is one of the construction machine with the hydraulic hand that is used to dig or grab stuff

[-] lividweasel@lemmy.world 45 points 2 days ago

The main issue is that he used heavy machinery for cleanup. If it was by hand it probably wouldn't have resulted in any legal matter

Yeah, he went way beyond simply removing trash:

The team removed more than 200 bags of rubbish along with branches, thick layers of silt, weeds, discarded household appliances, used needles and even abandoned weapons. Their goal was to restore the natural flow of the water and remove years of accumulated waste.

He basically dug up the entire riverbed. That isn’t something people should just be doing ad-hoc.

[-] ghurab@lemmy.world 9 points 2 days ago

He basically dug up the entire riverbed. That isn’t something people should just be doing ad-hoc.

Fully agree, but there seems to be no better alternative.

Powlesland told the Guardian he’s asked the agency numerous times to clean the river, but it’s been ignoring him for years.

[-] themachinestops@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 2 days ago

Exactly, it seems the environment agency is useless.

[-] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

or the environmental agency has other more pressing matters to attend to in its 50-year plan, and dredging the river there could drastically disrupt their flood planning.

my county's 50-year plan just finished. we just turned the entire damn county from a 10-year floodplain to a 100-year floodplain (by dredging creeks and digging new canals). It took fifty. damn. years. Easiest way to tell who was a local was who was celebrating when they finished.

[-] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

yup. in the judge's place might even sanction him for acts unbecoming or discreditable to the profession or whatever it's called over there. as a barrister or solicitor you are supposed to display good judgment at all times. This is his area of expertise. Like ho lee fuck did he err in judgment.

[-] whyNotSquirrel@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

In the same post they say he's facing up to 2 years in jail and a image saying he's jailed already for 2 years....

edit: and if you end those permit law I think it might open ways for bad things mostly.

this post was submitted on 22 Jun 2026
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