Mark Eastwood MP: Working to reduce impact of flooding

Mark Eastwood MP writes: Mirfield is one town in my constituency which is adversely affected during these periods of heavy rainfall. Since I was elected in 2019, I have worked closely with local councillors and the Environment Agency to try to find solutions to mitigate the effects of these events.

On Monday, January 15 I welcomed Robbie Moore, minister for Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to Mirfield to meet with residents, local charity Vet Run and John Cottons Ltd. Councillor Bolt, the Environment Agency and Parliamentary Candidate for the Spen seat, Adam Gregg, also joined us for the visits.

We discussed the impact the storms and subsequent flooding has had on the businesses and charities and explored the plans for the flood alleviation scheme with the Environment Agency. It is positive that they remain committed to the scheme and to continue to work with local businesses in the interim to reduce the impact these flooding events have.

I have also paid a visit to the Salvation Army Hall in Mirfield to see how the Healthy Agency Centre has been getting on with promoting fitness and wellbeing for over 55’s. The session was almost fully booked and feedback from members was very positive. I stayed for a brew at the coffee morning held at the hall which is also benefiting from the centre being open on site.

In the week before Christmas, I was accompanied by a team of enforcement officers on a test purchase exercise in Dewsbury town centre. During the exercise, in total 48 products were purchased, 28 packs of illicit cigarettes, one pouch of illicit roll-your-own tobacco and 19 purchases of illicit disposable e-cigarettes. Over 20 retail outlets were selling illicit cigarettes and vapes across Dewsbury.

Fourteen of them were selling illegal disposable vapes, one of which was on sale for £10—but it was £10 for 3,500 puffs. The maximum legal tank size equates to about 600 puffs, so £10 spent on that product would be equivalent to almost six legal vapes. Unlike a legal vape, however, this one had not had its chemical constituents approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory

Agency, so we have no idea what harmful toxins could have been in it. Almost half the shops that sold these illicit vapes had them on display. I wish I could say that the whole exercise was an eye-opener, but there have been several high-profile incidents involving the sale of illicit cigarettes and vapes in Dewsbury. Last October, £100,000-worth of such products were seized by West Yorkshire police and trading standards. The sale of illegal cigarettes and elicit vapes is not only a criminal offence but it is also often linked with wider organised crime gang activity and antisocial behaviour. I have sent the findings to Trading Standards to be investigated further and for the appropriate action to be taken.

My team and I continue to be available to help you on any matter, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch by email or phone - [email protected] or 01924 939 007.

Thank you for reading.