THE major news this week was that South West Water was fined £7.87-million for more than 500 sewage pollution incidents.

The offences included 336 illegal spills into the River Camel near Bodmin, and 231 untreated sewage discharges at Harlyn Beach. Almost £5.9-million of the total fine relates to offences in North Cornwall, including £2.96-million for Harlyn, £2.69-million for Nanstallon and £202,800 for Bodmin. I have been calling for far, far tougher accountability for those responsible for repeated illegal sewage pollution. My petition calling for prison sentences for water executives is available on my Facebook page - just search ‘Ben Maguire MP’ and the petition link should pop up under one of my recent posts.

The sewage issue is continuing to receive attention locally too. North Cornwall’s Liberal Democrat Cornwall Councillors are joining my campaign against ongoing sewage dumping scandal with a new scheme of ‘citizen testing’. The Environment Agency’s bathing water testing takes place only during the bathing season, which ends in September, so this work is intended to provide additional information about sewage pollution outside that period. Cllrs Moore, Garrigan, Emery, and O’Keefe are working with me and Surfers Against Sewage on the much-needed campaign.

There is also some news for Wadebridge on access to cash. Cash Access UK has confirmed that steps are being taken towards a temporary ‘Cash Hub’ in the town. Wadebridge Town Council is supportive, and although a final decision has not yet been made, discussions are very positive and are continuing. If approved, the temporary facility would provide residents and businesses with improved access to essential cash services while longer-term arrangements are considered. I have been campaigning for improved cash access in Wadebridge for months, including meeting LINK last week. I have also raised concerns that the current criteria for a full Banking Hub (which I know we desperately need in the town) do not adequately account for rural communities, particularly villages more than three miles from Wadebridge town centre. I will continue to feed local views into the ongoing reassessment and press for a permanent, full Banking Hub with visiting bank staff and wider face-to-face services.

I’ve also been continuing my ‘North Cornwall Community Champions’ work this week, recognising people and organisations doing valuable work in our area. This week I highlighted ‘The Grace Project’, a Children’s Clothes Bank in Wadebridge, founded and run by Helen Eustice. The project distributes pre-loved clothes to people in the local community, with its work reaching communities across North Cornwall. I had the opportunity to speak with Helen and learn more about the work of the project, and give it some positive coverage to highlight just how excellent their work is.

Lastly, I wrote in my update last week about the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) payments fiasco, and have now written urgently to the Farming Minister alongside my Liberal Democrat colleagues to demand answers. The entire funding pot disappeared within just six hours, leaving many North Cornwall farming families facing serious uncertainty, with the next funding round not due until 2027. Farmers deserve a system that works, particularly when these payments are so very important to the future of their family farms.