Further to Richard's letter the the Energy Minister in late October about regulations and risks surrounding the drilling of boreholes and his meeting with the Department in December, Richard received this reply.
Commenting, Richard Fuller MP said:
I am grateful to the Energy Minister for following up with me after our meeting in early December, however I can't help but be slightly disappointed by the response.
Arguing that we don’t need burdensome regulations that hamper useful innovation is of course right but misses the point.
Two people have died and nearly fifty households evacuated because there was not an effective response put in place. And since then, local agencies such as Bedford Borough Council and our Fire and Rescue service have been left to fend for themselves with no apparent guidance or support from central government.
Someone needs to admit they got it wrong and ministers need to demonstrate that, as a result of this tragedy, the government now has a clear plan of how it will minimise such errors in the future and explain what that plan comprises
