Thames Water receives multi-million pound fine after discharging an estimated half a million litres of raw sewage
Thames Water Utilities Limited has received a major fine for discharging an estimated half a million litres of raw sewage into the Seacourt and Hinksey streams in Oxford.
The discharges occurred on 24 and 25 July 2016, lasting approximately 30 hours. Raw sewage discharged flowed for at least 3.5 kilometres along the streams, through a pub garden and past community allotments.
The Environment Agency believes the discharges were responsible for the deaths of up to 3,000 fish, including perch, chub, roach, gudgeon and bullheads.
The court heard how Thames Water Utilities Limited had failed to carry out essential maintenance to prevent blockages in a sewer, despite already knowing it was vulnerable to blockages. The company had no system in place to identify blockages or pollution occurring and instead relied, not for the first time, on observations by members of the public. The incident was foreseeable and avoidable.
The incident was reported to the Environment Agency by canoeists who found themselves paddling in sewage amongst dead fish. Environment Agency officers attended the scene and successfully traced the pollution to its source.
The court also heard that during a major sewer renewal project in 2012, Thames Water had opted for a solution which saved them many millions of pounds. This critically relied upon six monthly cleaning of the sewer to prevent the known risk of blockages. However, the company failed to comply with its permit as it did not have a documented programme covering the maintenance of the downstream sewer, despite being in possession of a manual which clearly outlined the requirement for maintenance and the risk of blockage and pollution if it was not carried out. The investigation found that the water company had failed to adequately maintain this high risk section of sewer for at least 16 years.
Penalty
Thames Water Utilities Limited was fined £4 million and ordered to pay the prosecution costs of £90,713.
Man fined in connection with three waste offences
A man in Monmouthshire has been fined after admitting three waste offences in court.
The man pleaded guilty to:
- disposing of controlled waste at Glannau Farm, Monmouthshire in a manner likely to cause pollution to the environment or harm to human health;
- failing to comply with a stop notice issued by Natural Resources Wales (NRW); and
- submitting controlled waste or knowingly causing controlled waste to be submitted to a listed operation at the farm without an environmental permit.
NRW officers visited the farm in May 2020 after receiving reports regarding waste activities. The officers found multiple deposits of waste, including construction and demolition waste, household waste, wood, plastic, metals and soil. Evidence of the burning of waste was also found. These activities presented a risk to the environment and human health
During subsequent visits, NRW officers observed further offending of the same nature and stop notices were served in an attempt to prevent the illegal activity.
Penalty
At a hearing in court on 23 November 2021 the man was ordered to pay a total of £13,542 in fines and costs: £2,160.00 for each of the three offences together with a victim surcharge of £190.00 and a contribution towards costs in sum £6,872.00.
Company fined for the largest illegal export of household waste from Scotland to date
Saica Natur UK Limited has been fined after it was found to have illegally exported a range of household waste to China.
SEPA officers became aware of poor quality waste paper bales during a routine audit of the company’s Materials Recovery Facility at Croy in 2016.
SEPA was informed that although waste paper was usually sent to the company’s Manchester paper mill to be processed and recycled into cardboard, in June 2016 a fire at the mill greatly reduced its capacity to receive and recycle paper. As such, paper was being exported for recycling abroad.
The site manager was advised that all exports of waste paper from the site should immediately stop. SEPA requested paperwork for all waste that had been shipped and then made the necessary arrangements to stop any waste in transit so it could be returned for inspection.
Officers immediately blocked and inspected three containers at Grangemouth Port whilst simultaneously liaising with Belgian colleagues to intercept 29 containers Antwerp and to return the other remaining containers that were already in transit to China.
Between September 2016 and March 2017 SEPA officers examined a sample of bales from 51 containers. Items found within the bales, including food packaging, bottles, soiled nappies, food and textiles were removed. A small number of bales were identified to be suitable for export, but the overwhelming majority were not.
The waste was wrongly described as waste paper. Around 1,300 tonnes of waste was loaded inside 51 forty-foot shipping containers destined for recycling in China.
Since the issues identified with the 51 containers, Saica Natur UK Limited has taken action to improve performance at its Croy site. As well as a new training and management structure, there are quality checks of incoming and outgoing material, including visual inspections and sampling of the material in line with the requirements set out in the MRF Code of Practice.
Breaches
Saica Natur UK Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 23 of the Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations 2007 and Section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972 in relation to a breach of Article 36(1) to the Shipment of Waste Regulation (EC) No 1013/2006:
Penalty
Saica Natur UK Limited was fined £20,000.
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