Environment

Somerset is rich in environmental assets from its coastline to the Levels, Exmoor to the Mendips. In particular, West Somerset was ranked in the top 10% most beautiful places in the UK (Natural England, 2013).

Within Somerset's borders are:-

• Exmoor National Park
• 4 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB):-  Mendip Hills, Quantock Hills, Blackdown Hills and Cranborne Chase
• 127 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), from Cheddar Gorge to Cleeve Hill, Vallis Vale to Langport Cutting
• 15 National Nature Reserves (NNR)
• 21 Local Nature Reserves (LNR) 

However, this doesn’t paint the whole picture; there are some areas of the County experiencing very different circumstances. Many people living in towns have fewer opportunities to enjoy the rural landscape and may be experiencing poor conditions in their immediate environment.

Environmental Deprivation

The English Indices of Deprivation, published by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), are the official measure of relative deprivation for small areas in England. The most recent were published in 2015. Based on 37 indicators, they are organised across seven domains of deprivation which are combined, using appropriate weights, to calculate the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD), which is calculated for every Lower layer Super Output Area (LSOA), or neighbourhood, in England. Every such neighbourhood is ranked according to its level of deprivation relative to that of other areas.

One of the seven domains which comprise the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) is that of the Living Environment. The indicators used to create the Living Environment index of deprivation are:-

Indoors

• The proportion of houses that do not have central heating
• The proportion of social and private homes that fail to meet the Decent Homes standard.

Outdoors

• Air quality: A measure of air quality based on emissions rates for four pollutants
• Road traffic accidents involving injury to pedestrians and cyclists

Some headlines:-

• While Somerset generally scores above average on the Living Environment theme, there are considerable variations across the county
• 137 of Somerset's 327 LSOAs fall within the 20% most deprived local areas for Indoor Living Environment.
• This number has increased substantially since 2010, but note this relates to scores compared with other areas, not absolute scores.
• West Somerset is amongst the 10% most deprived Local Authorities for Indoor Living Environment, because it has a relatively high proportion of older, poor quality housing without access to mains gas for central heating.

Weather and Climate

The Met Office publishes monthly statistics collated at RNAS Yeovilton weather station. Data for temperature and rainfall go back to 1965, and sunshine figures start in 1983. Highlights for the 1965-2017 period are as follows:-

• Average temperatures are on an upward trend (see Chart 1 below)
• Four of the eight warmest years have been in the past ten years, led by 2014
• The average annual rainfall is 721mm.
• The wettest year in this 52-year period was 2012, with 987mm (see Chart 2 below)
• The wettest month between February 1965 and August 2017 was November 2002 (192mm) but, more recently, January 2014 was the fourth highest (166mm)

Flood Risk

Around 15% of Somerset is either at or just above sea-level. Parts of the low-lying Somerset Levels and Moors are at risk of severe flooding as a result of extreme weather periods.

In particular, in early 2014, the area experienced widespread flooding within the Parrett and Tone river catchments. With an estimated 65 million cubic metres of floodwater covering an area of 65 square kilometres, it is the largest flood event ever known.

As a result, the Somerset Levels and Moors Flood Action Plan (FAP) was produced by a range of organisations, with the involvement of the community and co-ordinated by Somerset County Council. As part of the 20-year plan, the Somerset Rivers Authority was established in 2015.

Air Quality

The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy publishes annual estimates of carbon dioxide emissions for local authorities and regions. Carbon Dioxide (CO²) is the main greenhouse gas, accounting for about 81.5 per cent of the UK greenhouse gas emissions in 2015. Provisional figures estimate that CO² accounted for 80.3% of the UK's greenhouse emissions in 2016.

• Between 2005 and 2015, estimated CO² levels in Somerset fell by 24%
• This was a smaller decrease than that experienced across England and the South West (both 28%).
• The latest annual fall in Somerset is largely attributable to declines in industrial and commercial emissions.
• Emissions per head of population is above average in Somerset, but this is fairly typical of more rural counties (see chart 3 below)
• In 2015 industrial emissions comprised 39% of the total, 34% were attributed to transport and 28% to domestic energy use.

Bathing Water Quality

Water quality at designated bathing water sites in England is assessed by the Environment Agency. From May to September, weekly assessments measure current water quality, and at a number of sites daily pollution risk forecasts are issued. Annual ratings classify each site as excellent, good, sufficient or poor based on measurements taken over a period of up to four years.

See the map below for the seven locations in Somerset, and their 2016 classifications for bathing water quality. 

For more data on these sites and others around the English coast, see the Environment Agency website.

Rurality

• 48% of Somerset's resident population live in a rural setting (2011 Census)
• This is the tenth highest of any upper-tier or Unitary authority in England

For more information, see our Rurality page

Flytipping

Fly-tipping is the illegal deposit of waste on land, contrary to Section 33(1)(a) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Local authorities and the Environment Agency both have a responsibility in respect of illegally deposited waste. 

• In 2016/17, in Somerset there were 4,889 flytipping incidents reported, 372 incidents less than in 2015/16 (see chart 4 below)
• Incident clearing costs totalled almost £298,000, with further costs related to investigative actions
• In 2016/17, Mendip's reported incidents per head of population (16 per thousand) was considerably higher than the county average of 9 per thousand yet below the national average of 18 per thousand

Recycling

• Somerset collects 260,000 tonnes of household waste a year (2014/15)
• 134,000 of this waste is sent for reuse, recycling or composting
• At 52% of the total, Somerset County Council has the eighth highest rate of the 32 Disposal local authorities in England.

Further Information:-

• Somerset Biodiversity Strategy 2008-18
• Somerset Environmental Records Centre
• Environmental Monitoring (Somerset County Council)
• Fly Tipping data for all local authorities (DEFRA)