This week, in two separate court cases, Anglian Water acknowledged to causing pollution incidents and was fined a total of £1,221,000.
The water business was forced to pay £871,000 after a series of system and maintenance failures caused a number of pollution incidents in Cambridgeshire, Buckinghamshire, and Northamptonshire from May to September 2019.
The list of process failures included delayed reporting, incorrect screening, and a general breakdown in planning and maintenance, all of which resulted in detrimental obstructions and pollution. After a particular occurrence, a subsequent biological study revealed 1,500 meters of dead aquatic invertebrates. The court also heard how an unmanaged accumulation of “unflushables” such as cotton swabs and sanitary pads produced a blockage at one location, resulting in the release of settled muck into the treated sewage.
Originally, the site was equipped with a screen to prevent process bottlenecks, but it was removed in 2018. The court heard that greater cleaning had not occurred, nor had any measures been made to lessen the possibility of blockages resulting from the removal of the screen.
The water corporation was also sentenced by Loughborough Magistrates to pay £37,605.13 in costs (Sep 12).
In a second case heard by the Cambridge Magistrates Court, Anglian Water was ordered to pay £350,000 when a pumping sewer at Bourn Brook in Caldecott, Cambridgeshire, ruptured for the sixth time in several years. The presence of ammonia and low oxygen levels in the water, discovered by officers who visited the location in September 2019, poses a potential threat to the local fauna. Despite Anglian Water’s efforts to prevent the spread of filthy water, its measures were ineffective, and a total of 4 kilometers of the watercourse was impacted for at least five days.
Since 2004, the 1.5-kilometer-long sewer had ruptured six times. The court determined that Anglian Water had implemented potential mitigation measures too slowly. After the event, they discovered air valves that were intended to alleviate strain on the sewer. These valves were installed at least 25 years ago.
Anglian Water pled guilty to causing dangerous, noxious, or contaminating materials to enter inland freshwaters without a permission and was ordered to pay £28,025.66 in costs and a £181 victim surcharge.
Sir James Bevan, the chief executive officer of the Environmental Protection Agency, stated, “Severe pollution is a serious crime, and I applaud these court punishments.”
The Environment Agency will pursue any water firm that violates the law or fails to preserve the environment, and will continue to advocate for the harshest sanctions available for those that do not comply.