We have engaged with people across the UK about what happens when public protections are too weak, or aren’t enforced properly. From unsafe food and dodgy builders to sewage polluting our rivers and seas, these stories show us what happens when the invisible safety net that holds together our society is eroded.
The UK’s regulators and local authorities do amazing work to enforce the law – looking out for our health, for our rights at work, for the safety of our families and for our natural environment. Public protectors from several local and national enforcement bodies give us their perspective on the work they do.
We have engaged with people across the UK about what happens when public protections are too weak, or aren’t enforced properly. From unsafe food and dodgy builders to sewage polluting our rivers and seas, these stories show us what happens when the invisible safety net that holds together our society is eroded.
The UK’s regulators and local authorities do amazing work to enforce the law – looking out for our health, for our rights at work, for the safety of our families and for our natural environment. Public protectors from several local and national enforcement bodies give us their perspective on the work they do.
- All stories
- Public Protectors
- Our Safety & Health
- What we eat
- Our environment
- Where we live
- Where we work
- What we buy
PUBLIC PROTECTORS: Una Kane, Environmental Health Manager
‘Asking residents to turn down their music, clear the rubbish from their garden – this is the stuff that can make life bearable or intolerable.”
PUBLIC PROTECTORS: Julie Barratt, incoming president of CIEH
“The public know what they want: safe food, clean air, good safe homes to live in, a clean environment with clean air and safe water.”
PUBLIC PROTECTORS: Matt Holford, Environmental Services Manager
“Public protection services such as mine will help fuel the recovery, not hinder it.”
LOUISE’S STORY
People breaking planning rules is having a huge effect on my community – and there are no consequences for those who do it.
PUBLIC PROTECTORS: Richard Williams, Senior Practitioner in Technical Services
“The work we do isn’t glamorous but it’s critical in making sure people have safe places to live for generations to come.”
PUBLIC PROTECTORS: Alison Farrar, CTSI Lead Officer
“If it wasn’t for our guys, none of these new designs of masks, visors, PPE or hand santitiser would be able to be released.”
PUBLIC PROTECTORS: Sandra Westacott, former Port Health Officer
“You have to know what to look for, and that comes with knowledge, experience and training. And you can’t get that without budget.”
PUBLIC PROTECTORS: Fiona Inston, Public Protection Manager
“We’re a really diverse and adaptable workforce, but a lot of what we do goes under the radar – I think we’re undervalued.”
PUBLIC PROTECTORS: Laurence Dettman, Chief Port Health Inspector
“We never know what could happen on any given day and I think most of us like it that way. We have to be able to react promptly to any situation.”
NADIM AND TANYA’S STORY
After our 15-year old daughter Natasha died after having a severe allergic reaction to a pre-packed sandwich we campaigned to bring about change.
PUBLIC PROTECTORS: David Pickering, CTSI Lead Officer
“The feedback that we get from businesses is actually really positive, because we’re helping them to comply with the rules.”
PUBLIC PROTECTORS: Rob Couch, Environmental Health Practitioner
“The way Covid-19 politics is changing the art of the possible is quite remarkable. The collectivism I’ve seen is unprecedented.”
MEGAN’S STORY
Megan was fifteen when she ordered a takeaway with a friend. It wasn’t until later that evening that Megan suffered an acute asthma attack.
RODNEY’S STORY
Rodney Sharpe delivered daily and Sunday papers on a 21-mile round in Maidenhead for Midcounties Co-op for over two decades.
JAMES’ STORY
“As I discovered while working for Uber, life behind the wheel can become a blur of endless traffic, enduring fatigue and relationships strained by absence.”
WINDRUSHWASP.ORG’S STORY
“We were truly alarmed to discover that the Environment Agency was allowing Thames Water to pump untreated sewage into the River Windrush.”
SIMON’S STORY
“Bepton Down is just below the South Downs Way on a north facing slope with stunning views. It should be a unique area of chalk downland – but it isn’t.”
EILEEN’S STORY
“I was 22 when I escaped the fire that engulfed the entertainment complex Summerland. My partner, who I had been engaged to for two years, didn’t survive.”
EDWARD’S STORY
“One of my most memorable cases was a takeaway in the Borough called Golden Dragon which I received a complaint about from a consumer.”
SPORTS DIRECT WORKERS’ STORIES
“I was a picker, taking items from the shelves in the warehouse. Our speed was timed, and if you were slow you got a strike.”
PERSEPHONE’S STORY
Persephone was a healthy child until the age of two when she first began to be affected by viral induced wheezes.
LUKE’S STORY
“On March 2, 2017 I was cycling home from work when I hit a pothole. The hole measured four inches in depth and was over a foot long.”
REBECCA’S STORY
In September 2016, 1,000 tonnes of waste at a farm in Rugeley caught fire. Smoke travelled for four miles. It smouldered for 18 months.
HENNA’S STORY
“Our nightmare began when we were looking for someone to do an extension on our property. We weren’t the only victims.”
OSCAR’S STORY
In November 2016, seven-month-old Oscar Abbey was found by his parents with his head caught in the side of his cot.
MARILYN’S STORY
“Mother had always been independent. Things changed when she replied to that first scam letter. I was powerless to help.”
ALICE’S STORY
“This was the first time I’d tried DIY teeth whitening kits. The website said they were: ‘safe for use’ and ‘used by top dentists’. But I guess I should have checked.”
MICHELLE’S STORY
“I am one of thousands of people who would like to see justice done to Vance Miller, who is behind several dodgy kitchen firms.”
