Environmental information requests

On 20 February 2015, the Upper Tribunal handed down judgment in the matter of Fish Legal & Emily Shirley v Information Commissioner & Others [2015] UKUT 0052 (AAC), which makes all water and sewerage undertakers in England and Wales subject to the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (“EIR”).

 

This includes Anglian Water Services Limited.

 

Environmental information

The definition of “environmental information” is very broad. The EIR says it includes any information in written, visual, audio, electronic or any other material form on:

  • elements of the environment, such as air and atmosphere, water, soil, land, landscape and natural sites including wetlands, coastal and marine areas, biological diversity and its components, including genetically modified organisms, and the interaction among these elements
  • factors, such as substances, energy, noise, radiation or waste, including radioactive waste, emissions, discharges and other releases into the environment, affecting or likely to affect the environment
  • measures, such as policies, legislation, plans, programmes, environmental agreements, and activities affecting or likely to affect the elements
  • reports on the implementation of environmental legislation
  • cost benefit and other economic analyses and assumptions; and
  • the state of human health and safety, including the contamination of the food chain, where relevant, conditions of human life, cultural sites and built structures inasmuch as they are or may be affected by the state of the elements of the environment.


Our obligations

Anglian Water Services Limited has an obligation to respond to requests for environmental information within 20 working days of receipt of the request. For particularly complex and voluminous requests, we may seek an extension to this timeframe of a further 20 days.


The EIR contain a series of 'exceptions' to disclosure, which allow for the refusal to disclose information under a number of circumstances, subject to the application of a public interest test.

 

Interim charges

We reserve the right to a charge for responding to environmental information requests.


Our charges for the provision of environmental information will be based upon the Information Commissioner’s guidance.

 

The charges will be made up of:

 

  • staff time spent locating, retrieving and extracting the information requested. This will be charged at a rate of £25 per hour of staff time
  • printing or copying the requested information. This will be charged at a rate of 10p per page
  • postage fees will also be charged at cost. All documents will be sent 2nd Class Post.
     

We will ask for payment in advance if the charge will exceed £50.  We will let you know whether we require payment in advance when we notify you of the charges.  Once we have notified you of the charges you will have 60 days to make the payment or we will not proceed with the request.

 

We may elect to waive the charge.  If you believe you should not have to pay a charge for the information please provide further detail when you make your request and we will considered whether we are willing to waive the charges.

 

Information already publicly available

Advice about drinking water is available here.

 

We publish our drinking water quality sample results for our properties served here. 

 

We publish information about our Combined Sewer Overflow data, including event duration monitoring data and our bathing water performance and awards.

 

Maps detailing the location of our water recycling infrastructure and assets (including both underground assets and above ground assets such as pumping stations and water recycling works) are available to view free of charge at your local council office. (Please contact them directly for access and opening hours). Alternatively, you can view these maps using our terminals at Henderson House (see below for more information).

 

Anglian Water’s Public Access Terminal 

 

Three touchscreen terminals are available at Anglian Water’s office at Henderson House, 4 Lancaster Way, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE29 7DU between the hours of 09:00 and 17:00 Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays). One touchscreen terminal is also available at Anglian Water’s office in Hartlepool at 3 Lancaster Road, Hartlepool TS24 8LW with the same availability. There is no need to book an appointment, please just turn up, park in one of the marked visitor bays and go to Reception to sign in. If the terminals are in use you will be asked to wait in your vehicle until one becomes available.

 

In accordance with Government advice, we have put in place appropriate measures to allow us to re-open Henderson House whilst continuing to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of everyone involved. We therefore ask that on arrival you take the time to read the revised Terms of Use (COVID-19 Period) displayed above the terminals. Please also ensure you wear a face covering for the duration of your visit and clean down the touchscreen and table (with wipes provided) before and after use.

 

In line with the Government’s advice on maintaining a record of individuals accessing publicly available facilities, we kindly ask that prior to using the public terminal you register your name and contact details with the reception team. This personal information will only be used to notify you when a terminal becomes available and for the purpose of making contact with you should the need arise under the ‘Track and Trace’ guidelines. Your details will only be retained for a period of 21 days from collection.

 

Please do not visit Henderson House if you have or have had any symptoms of COVID-19 within the last seven days or if anyone within your household has had any symptoms within the last 14 days. Please see the Government’s latest advice for further details.

 

Making a request for Environmental Information

In writing to:


Anglian Water Services Limited

Legal Services Lancaster House, Lancaster Way, Ermine Business Park, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE29 6YJ

 

Telephone: 03457 919 155

 

Email: EIR@anglianwater.co.uk

 

Please provide details of your request and contact details for us to send a reply to the request.

Making a complaint

If you aren't happy with the way in which your request for information under the EIR has been handled, we have a formal complaints procedure that we advise applicants to follow.

Making a request for Low Pressure and internal Sewer Flooding Information

This information is available by submitting a form to our officers at Anglian Water, Osprey House, 1 Percy Road, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE29 6SZ

The process is:

1. Complete an order form provided by the reception desk at Osprey House, or downloading here, ensuring that the following information is given:

 

  • name
  • company (if applicable)
  • email address
  • telephone number
  • postal address
  • full property address
  • information required (flooding / pressure / both).

2. Hand the completed form to reception together with cash or a cheque (made payable to Anglian Water Services Limited) for the appropriate amount (currently £5.00 per request per address)

3. The results of the search(es) will be returned to you via the email address provided within 2 working days.

Anglian Water Services Limited provides this information in good faith on the understanding that it is the information available at the time.

 

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Anglian Water Services Limited shall not be liable for breach of contract, tort, negligence, breach of statutory duty or otherwise, for any loss, damages, costs or expenses (including without limit, any loss of profit or anticipated profits; damage to reputation or goodwill; loss or corruption of data; loss of business or anticipated business; loss of revenue; loss of opportunity; or any indirect or consequential loss) you may suffer howsoever arising, and / or due to:

 

  • any error or inaccuracy or omission; and/or
  • any person acting, omitting to act, or refraining from acting, or otherwise, in reliance upon the information provided.

The information provided is intended for personal use only and must not be used for any other purpose whatsoever, including without limitation any commercial gain.

Should you have any queries with regards this decision or the order process, please send all correspondence to EIR@anglianwater.co.uk 

 

Environmental Request Leaflet

File icon Low pressure information order form