Wessex Water Fined £500,000 for Sewage Killing Thousands of Fish
11 November 2024, 14:35
London, UK – Wessex Water, a water and sewage company serving the southwest of England, has been fined £500,000 for a sewage discharge that killed thousands of fish in the River Frome in Somerset.
The incident occurred in May 2022 when a sewage pumping station at Maiden Bradley malfunctioned, releasing untreated sewage into the river. The Environment Agency (EA) investigated and found that the discharge had killed over 4,000 fish, including brown trout, salmon, and eels.
The EA said that Wessex Water had failed to maintain the pumping station properly, leading to the malfunction. The company had also failed to report the discharge promptly, which delayed the clean-up operation.
Wessex Water pleaded guilty to four charges under the Water Resources Act 1991 at Bristol Crown Court. The company was fined £500,000 and ordered to pay £10,000 in costs.
In a statement, the EA said: “This incident was entirely avoidable. Wessex Water failed to maintain its pumping station properly and failed to report the discharge promptly. As a result, thousands of fish were killed.
“We will continue to take tough action against water companies that fail to meet their environmental obligations.”
Wessex Water said it was “deeply sorry” for the incident and that it had taken “immediate action” to improve its operations.
“We are committed to protecting the environment and we will continue to invest in our infrastructure to prevent incidents like this from happening again,” the company said.
The incident has raised concerns about the impact of sewage discharges on the environment. The EA said that it is investigating other incidents of sewage pollution and that it will take action against water companies that fail to comply with their environmental obligations.
Wessex Water fined £500,000 for sewage killing thousands of fish
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