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Water Pollution Prevention News

Huge environment fines, Milton Keynes farmer’s shame, EU targets missed

This time around we’re listing the UK’s ten biggest water pollution voluntary settlements, looking at the crucial EU environmental targets the nation is about to miss, examining the multiple pollution incidents caused by one Milton Keynes farmer, and exploring the fact that The Environment Agency wants businesses to do more to help stop our waterways becoming polluted. Here’s the news.

The UK’s 10 biggest settlements for polluted waters

Thanks to EndsReport for collating a list of the 10 biggest UK pollution environment voluntary penalties and settlements… since 2015. Isn’t it interesting to see how many of them are water utilities companies?

They all have shareholders to please, and they all appear to prioritise profits above our environment.

Interestingly this list refers to voluntary settlements and doesn’t include the highest ever water pollution fines, Thames Water and Tescos reportedly paid out £20m and £8m, respectively, for water pollution incidents in 2017. This makes us wonder what other incidents and fines might be lurking behind the scenes.

Here is Endsreport’s list:

  1. Wessex Water: £975,000 – Wessex Water paid out for creating a series of sewage discharges into Swanage Bay in November 2018.
  2. United Utilities: £511,000 – For a sewage spill at Poynton Tanks wastewater treatment works in breach of its permit
  3. United Utilities: £500,000 – For a sewage spill at Rivington wastewater treatment works
  4. HIPP UK Ltd: £414,960 – The baby food manufacturer agreed to donate £414,960 to charities for breaching packaging waste rules
  5. Northumbrian Water: £375,000 – For pumping raw sewage into a tributary of the river Tyne
  6. Northumbrian Water: £350,000 – Relating to permit breaches at a sewage pumping station and a combined sewer outfall
  7. Northumbrian Water: another £350,000 – Relating to permit breaches at a combined sewer outfall
  8. South West Water: £350,000 – For a sewer blockage on the outskirts of Plymouth
  9. AWPR B-T Construction Joint Venture: £280,000 – For water pollution offences committed while building a bypass around Aberdeen
  10. Fuerst Day Lawson: £270,000 – For releasing a ‘polluting matter’ into nearby balancing pools which escaped into a tributary of the river Trent

The UK is set to miss a slew of environment targets

According to the Financial Times the nation is about to miss a load of vital environmental targets despite repeated government promises to do more. Plans to reduce air and water pollution, improve biodiversity and boost recycled waste are going to be missed in 2020 unless something drastic happens.

The EU has asked every member state to clean up polluted lakes, rivers and coastal waters by 2027, but Britain has made particularly slow progress. Just 35% of surface water bodies ‘were in the required condition’ in 2018, compared to 37% in 2013. The numbers for our rivers are even worse at just 14%. As the FT says, “The findings come as the government works to burnish its green credentials ahead of the December election.”

Environment Agency asks businesses to do more to protect our environment

The Environment Agency’s 2019 annual report, Regulating for People, Environment and Growth, reveals that 92% of operators ‘demonstrated good compliance with their environmental permit conditions’. A record 72% of waste produced by permitted activities was recovered, and ‘high levels of bathing water quality’ have been maintained. On the other hand they say that ‘all businesses must make improvements to ensure their operations help protect the environment and local communities’because waste crime continues to cause environmental harm.

In 2018 alone, EA prosecutions resulted in almost £2.8 million in fines for environmental offences. But businesses must do more to safeguard the environment because the number of serious pollution incidents and illegal waste sites is increasing. There were 533 serious pollution incidents in 2018, 27% more than 2017. The EA closed down 912 illegal waste sites in 2018, up 12% on 2017. And they shut down 896 new illegal waste sites in 2018.

Milton Keynes farmer fined for repeated offences

Sometimes it’s an accident, sometimes the person concerned just doesn’t care. A Milton Keynes farmer who repeatedly polluted a stream on a Northamptonshire Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) has been forced to shell out £8,760 for contaminating a tributary of the River Great Ouse in Salcey Forest.

April 2018 saw two lagoons on Mr Colinswood’s farm filled with farmyard run-off, which spilled into connected drainage ditches before entering the stream. ‘Extremely toxic’ levels of ammonia 10 times higher than upstream were recorded, and officers found that the contamination had been going on for a long time.

It was so bad that notices had to be put up warning the public, and the pollution completely killed off all the wildlife in the water. Colinswood had been using the site for at least three years, was aware of the risks, and even tried to blame a neighbouring farm for the pollution. He also ignored advice and ignored a formal warning.

Prevention is the best cure!

The last thing you need, as a business, is to suffer the reputational damage and financial woes that come with a pollution incident, and industrial spill or even a commercial fire. Maybe you need an Environmental Permit, or want to know exactly how to mitigate all of the various pollution risks your company faces? Perhaps you’re keen to actively do your bit to safeguard our environment. Whatever you need, we help businesses like yours comply with the law and avoid environment fines.

David Cole MSEE

David Cole MSEE

Technical Director

David is a pioneer of the spill containment and water pollution prevention industry with 30 years experience. He was instrumental in the development of CIRIA736 with The Environment Agency and is passionate about preventing water pollution.

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