Anglian Water has become the first water company in England to pay a Variable Monetary Penalty (VMP) over a pollution incident, the Environment Agency (EA) has confirmed.
The £150,000 fine follows an investigation by the agency into an incident which saw sewage released into the River Til in Bedfordshire in 2018.
Contractors employed by Anglian used a tanker jetter to unblock a sewer after sewage gathered in a field in Yielden. This increase in flow caused the small rural Yielden Water Recycling Centre to become overwhelmed resulting in sewage discharging into the river.
The Environment Agency said that the impact to the river was “limited to 660 metres” but added there were high levels of ammonia.
“Dissolved oxygen was also depressed at a level likely to impact fish but there was no evidence of any dead fish or invertebrates,” it said.
The incident was reported by Anglian to the agency and the company took action to clean up the pollution. Additionally, other measures were implemented to prevent a similar incident happening again.
Despite the company having a nine bullet point environmental procedure document to deal with such incidents, the EA said there was “no adequate written procedure setting out how to assess specific environmental risks and how to overcome them to prevent pollution from small sites like Yielden”.
Following its investigation, the EA imposed a VMP – a type of civil sanction – of £150,000 and costs of more than £4,400 on Anglian. This is the first time a water company in England has paid a VMP in relation to a pollution incident.
Jeremy Hay, senior environment officer at the Environment Agency, said: “Polluters should always be held to account, and, as much as our resources allow, we will always investigate significant pollution incidents and bring those responsible to justice.
“We are pleased with the success of this type of civil sanction, which we hope will change behaviour. It’s vital that future civil sanctions are not only proportionate but also an effective deterrent to all who pollute our rivers and waters.”
An Anglian Water spokesperson said: “We take our responsibilities to the natural environment very seriously, and deeply regret the incident at Yielden in 2018.
“The issue was caused by an unflushables blockage in the sewer pipe leading to a small water recycling centre in Yielden. When the blockage was removed it caused additional flows to the works which overwhelmed the process for a short time. This lead to a small spill into an often dry part of the River Till which had a minor impact on the environment.
“Every day, Anglian Water spends half a million pounds to keep the network running as it should. Around £19 million is spent each year on preventing sewer blockages, and maintenance of our vast network. We work tirelessly to protect and enhance the environment, so it is particularly distressing when incidents like this occur.”