Severn Trent fined over pollution of the Messingham Reservoir
16 May 2014 12:28 PM
On 14 May 2014, Severn Trent Water Limited
pleaded guilty at Scunthorpe Magistrates’ Court to polluting the
Messingham Reservoir, a local fishing pond near Carcar Farm in North
Lincolnshire with untreated sewage which led to a significant fish
kill.
The
company was fined £25,000 and ordered to pay £10,267.05 in costs,
along with a £15 victim surcharge.
The
charges were brought by the Environment Agency under Regulation 38(1)(a) and
Regulation 12(1)(b) of the Environmental Permitting Regulations
2010.
On
20 August 2012 the Environment Agency received a report from Severn Trent Water
Limited that sewage was discharging from a blocked manhole in a field of wheat
east of Carcar Farm. The sewage then flowed over the field into a ditch known
as the Gelder Beck, then into the Catchwater Drain, consequently entering
Messingham Reservoir via an overflow pipe.
The
Messingham Reservoir is a 35-year-old pond stocked with a variety of fish
including perch, carp and pike.
Environment Agency officers who attended the site
– situated between North Moor Road and the A159 - on 20 August 2012
noticed a raised manhole cover that was discharging liquid from around the side
of the cover. The discharge was entering the watercourse in a number of places
by over-tipping the bank. Our officers noted a land drain pipe discharging
liquid into the watercourse, as well as witnessing some of the fish which had
died.
An
investigation carried out by the Environment Agency into the incident
identified that over 2000 metres of watercourse were contaminated with
sewage.
Speaking after the case, an Environment Agency officer
in charge of the investigation said:
We
take cases of pollution to watercourses seriously due to the environmental
damage that can be caused. In this case, Severn Trent Water fell short of their
responsibilities to maintain the sewer which led to the blockage, and so we did
not hesitate to prosecute.
In
mitigation, the court was told that the company pleaded guilty at the first
opportunity and fully cooperated with the Environment Agency’s
investigation. In addition, they took significant action after the pollution
incident and made a number of improvements following this
event.