Post by Hoppy on Apr 5, 2006 19:03:40 GMT -1
Llantrisant stream pollution - Welsh Water fined £10,000
Dwr Cymru Welsh Water has been fined £10,000 after foul sewage leaked from a public sewer, contaminated a surface water discharge and then entered the Nant Mychydd watercourse, at Llantrisant, Rhondda Cynon Taf. This incident resulted in the death of more than 800 fish. The company, which pleaded guilty at Llwynypia Magistrates’ Court on Friday 31 March 2006 was also ordered to pay full costs of £6,686 to Environment Agency Wales who brought the prosecution.
Dwr Cymru Welsh Water pleaded guilty to two charges:
· Causing polluting matter to enter controlled waters, namely the Nant Mychydd at Llantrisant, contrary to Section 85(1) of the Water Resources Act 1991. Fined £7,500.
and
· Causing to flow into waters containing fish, namely the Nant Mychydd at Llantrisant, certain liquid or solid matter to such an extent as to cause the said waters to be poisonous or injurious to fish or the food of fish contrary to Section 4 of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975. Fined £2,500
On 21 July 2004, effluent was discharged into the Nant Mychydd watercourse, a tributary of the River Ely from a surface water outfall at the Llantrisant Business Park. An Environment Agency Wales investigation revealed that the pollution had caused a major fish kill and
significant reduction in invertebrate biological quality for a distance 1.5 K downstream of the discharge point. Both the Nant Mychydd and to a lesser extent, the River Ely were affected.
Due to the large amount of sewage fungus present in the Nant Mychydd it is believed that the surface water outfall was discharging regularly over a considerable period of time before the incident was reported. The Agency prosecuted Dwr Cymru Welsh Water for the same offence, at the same discharge point in 2002 and as a consequence, the company was aware of the problem.
Speaking after the case, Philip Burgess, Agency Environment Management Team Leader said: ‘We were extremely disappointed that, following the pollution incident in 2002, Dwr Cymru Welsh Water caused a further pollution to occur from the same discharge point with such devastating effects. The result of this case sends out a clear message that we will not tolerate those that disregard the environment in this manner and will not hesitate to robustly prosecute those that do so.’
Dwr Cymru Welsh Water has been fined £10,000 after foul sewage leaked from a public sewer, contaminated a surface water discharge and then entered the Nant Mychydd watercourse, at Llantrisant, Rhondda Cynon Taf. This incident resulted in the death of more than 800 fish. The company, which pleaded guilty at Llwynypia Magistrates’ Court on Friday 31 March 2006 was also ordered to pay full costs of £6,686 to Environment Agency Wales who brought the prosecution.
Dwr Cymru Welsh Water pleaded guilty to two charges:
· Causing polluting matter to enter controlled waters, namely the Nant Mychydd at Llantrisant, contrary to Section 85(1) of the Water Resources Act 1991. Fined £7,500.
and
· Causing to flow into waters containing fish, namely the Nant Mychydd at Llantrisant, certain liquid or solid matter to such an extent as to cause the said waters to be poisonous or injurious to fish or the food of fish contrary to Section 4 of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975. Fined £2,500
On 21 July 2004, effluent was discharged into the Nant Mychydd watercourse, a tributary of the River Ely from a surface water outfall at the Llantrisant Business Park. An Environment Agency Wales investigation revealed that the pollution had caused a major fish kill and
significant reduction in invertebrate biological quality for a distance 1.5 K downstream of the discharge point. Both the Nant Mychydd and to a lesser extent, the River Ely were affected.
Due to the large amount of sewage fungus present in the Nant Mychydd it is believed that the surface water outfall was discharging regularly over a considerable period of time before the incident was reported. The Agency prosecuted Dwr Cymru Welsh Water for the same offence, at the same discharge point in 2002 and as a consequence, the company was aware of the problem.
Speaking after the case, Philip Burgess, Agency Environment Management Team Leader said: ‘We were extremely disappointed that, following the pollution incident in 2002, Dwr Cymru Welsh Water caused a further pollution to occur from the same discharge point with such devastating effects. The result of this case sends out a clear message that we will not tolerate those that disregard the environment in this manner and will not hesitate to robustly prosecute those that do so.’