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In a pioneering move for a Government department in Northern Ireland, Environment Minister Alex Attwood has set up a partnership with the charity Crimestoppers to crack down on waste crime.

Mr Attwood said, "Illegal waste is big business which threatens our environment, our health and our economy. Unscrupulous businesses are taking huge sums of money from all of us that could otherwise be used for schools, hospitals and roads. Working with Crimestoppers will help us tackle the illegal dumping of waste materials, including hazardous chemicals, scrap metal and tyres, which harm the environment."

He continued, "Environmental criminals are undermining the legitimate waste industry, our way of life and our children's heritage, for a quick profit. Large scale dumping is polluting our land, our water and our air and I will do everything I can to stop it, and to make Northern Ireland a better place to live, work and invest."

"People may be reticent about reporting waste crime or in fact not know how. I want to reassure you, if you suspect anyone is involved in illegal waste activity - carrying, dumping or burying large amounts of waste - you will not be put at risk if you report it, so please help us protect your community's environment, health and quality of life and call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111."

The Minister emphasised that Crimestoppers is an anonymous service that does not take anyone's details. He praised Crimestoppers' proven track record and noted the successes it achieved in 2010/11: 8,264 criminals were arrested and charged, £25.3million of illegal drugs were seized and £3.1million of stolen goods were recovered as a result of the information it received.

Susan Brew, Northern Ireland Crimestoppers Regional Manager said, "Crimestoppers are delighted to have joined up in partnership with the Northern Ireland Environment Agency and feel very positive that this partnership will generate some valuable information. Crimestoppers is not, as many people think the police, but an independent charity which provide the number for people to call when passing on information. Crimestoppers anonymity promise, which has never been broken, means no personal details are taken from the caller, no calls are traced or recorded and people are not required to give evidence in court."

The boss of a St Helens gas supply firm has been fined £22,500 after he and an employee suffered multiple burns in an explosion.

John Webster, director of North West Gases Ltd, had been attempting to remove the valve on an LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) cylinder on 10 April, 2008 when it ignited. The resulting fire left Mr Webster and another worker with burns to their faces, hands and legs. A third employee who was working outside the workshop sustained minor injuries in the explosion, which lifted the roof off the building.

The Health and Safety and Executive (HSE) investigation found Mr Webster, whose company provides LPG for a range of uses including powering forklift trucks, had failed to ensure the cylinder was empty and there was no ignition source present before starting work.

Following a trial at Liverpool Crown Court, Mr Webster was found guilty of breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 by failing to take reasonable care of himself and his employees and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £2,500, in addition to a fine of £22,500.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Warren Pennington said, "Mr Webster's failure to carry out even the most basic of safety checks led to what was an entirely preventable incident. He failed to ensure that the cylinder was empty and didn't check for any potential sources of ignition in the building, any of which could have caused this explosion. In this case, the fact that no one was killed was simply down to luck."

See also

For further information, refer to the:

• Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations SI 1998/2451;
• Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations (Northern Ireland) SR 2004/63;
• L56 - Safety in the installation and use of gas systems and appliances.

Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman is hosting a drought summit which was called in response to the fact that groundwater levels in England are lower than levels seen in 1976, which was the hottest year on record. Parts of Eastern England are already in drought, and there are fears that the South East will now follow suit.

Weather this winter has been mainly dry in the South, which has largely contributed to the water shortage that parts of England now face. Thames Water believe that there are no more questions as to whether there will be a drought, but when there will be one, whilst Anglican Water claims some reservoir levels are 20% lower than normal.

Other signs of drought are also visible, especially on the River Kennet in Wiltshire, which is completely dry west of Malborough.

Ms Spelman has also warned of a probable hosepipe ban this year. She said, "We have had the second dry winter in a row. Whereas last year it was principally the farmers that were affected by the dry conditions and the public water supply was not affected, I think it is more likely that the public water supply will be affected unless we have substantial rainfall between now and the summer".

Water companies, farmers and wildlife groups have all been invited to attend the summit in an attempt to think about preventative measures. Despite the fact that some groups like the WWF feel this action comes too late, there is an immediate urge for people to try and save water.

For more information, see the:

• Water Resources Act 1991;
• Water Use (Temporary Bans) Order SI 2010/2231;
• Environment Agency website for the latest drought information - http://cedr.ec/2g.

China has banned all of its airlines from joining the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS). The ban comes only weeks after the China Air Transport Association said its members disagreed with the EU ETS, joining around 40 other countries, including Russia and the US, who do not support the scheme.

The EU ETS is an initiative that aims to promote a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by creating a greenhouse gas emission allowance trade within the EU. The scheme applies to all airlines that fly to and from EU countries and requires airlines to reduce their emissions, or buy additional allowances if their emissions go above their allowance. Companies that do not comply could, in the worst case scenario, be banned from EU airports.

China claims that the scheme could cost Chinese airlines £79 million. Their ban of the EU ETS has begun worries that a trade war could begin, especially as there are other countries opposed to the scheme, despite the fact that it could help the global battle against high carbon emissions.

However, opposition to the EU ETS from those external to the EU seems to be fierce. Andrew Herdman, director-general of the Association of Asia-Pacific Airlines said, "We're now at the stage that it's absolutely clear that a whole host of foreign Governments are not going to allow the EU to do this. It does put the Chinese airlines in a difficult position where you've got to comply with the legislation and yet your Government is telling you not to comply."

For more information, see:

• Directive 2003/87/EC, establishing a scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading within the Community;
• Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme Regulations SI 2005/925.

A man in Chile is being held on suspicion of stealing five tonnes of ice from a glacier in Patagonia to sell as designer ice cubes for cocktails.

Local media reported that the police intercepted a refrigerated truck with an estimated £3,900 worth of illicit ice allegedly bound for whiskies, rums and cocktails in the capital Santiago.

Authorities have accused the driver of theft and are considering adding violation of national monuments to the charge sheet.

Scientists say Jorge Montt, part of the Bernardo O'Higgins National Park, is retreating by half a mile a year, making it one of the world's fastest shrinking glaciers and one of the most visible examples of climate change.

Environmentalists have cited it as evidence that man-made climate change is warming the planet. Sceptics have cited other explanations for retreating glaciers but theft, until now, was not one of them. It may be the only case in which both sides agree human activity was to blame.

Morpeth in Northumberland was flooded in 2008 after the River Wansbeck breached its banks and engulfed almost 1,000 properties. Plans were drawn up to protect the town from such floods, but were stopped by budget cuts announced by the Coalition Government as a result of their comprehensive spending review.

However, Morpeth now looks set to get approval from the Environment Agency next week for new flood defences that would protect the town from rising waters. These plans include building some freshwater reservoirs upstream and new flood walls in the town itself.

The Agency will be discussing the plans on 9 February.

"Together, the Environment Agency and Northumberland County Council aim to reduce the risk of flooding to more than 1,000 homes and businesses in the town" said Ian Hodge, regional flood and coastal risk manager. "The council will contribute up to £12m towards the scheme and a further £10.6m has been identified in Government funding, however this has to receive formal approval from the Environment Agency Board."

For more information, see the:

• Water Resources Act 1991.