Northumbrian Water has been fined £540,000 by the Environment Agency for polluting a watercourse in Castle Eden in May 2017.
The agency prosecuted the company for discharging sewage effluent into the waterway that runs through Heads Hope Dene. Northumbrian self-reported the incident that resulted from a blockage in a combined sewer that caused an overflow to run into the watercourse from a nearby manhole.
As well as the fine, the company was ordered to pay costs of £142,000 after pleading guilty to the offence.
Rachael Caldwell, environment manager for the EA in the North East, said: “We take our responsibility to protect the environment very seriously. Water companies have a legal duty to avoid pollution and must act quickly to reduce any damage that happens as a result of their activities. The regulations are clear and are enforced robustly.
“In this case raw sewage poured out of a manhole cover and into the Dene, which had a negative impact along 4km of the watercourse. Our officers have worked tirelessly to bring this case to court and we’re pleased with the result, which demonstrates our commitment to holding water companies accountable.”
Northumbrian began to clear the blockage the same day and undertook work to re-route the sewer away from the Dene.
Richard Warneford, director of wastewater at Northumbrian, said the company “fully accepted” the fine handed to it.
He said: “This pollution incident at Head Hope Dene was something that we quickly identified and dealt with. We also self-reported the incident to the Environment Agency.
“We are the leading performer in the water industry on pollution incidents over the last three years and the latest Environmental Performance Assessment from the Environment Agency awarded us four stars, the highest level possible.
“However, we will continue to strive to do even better and are currently investing £5 million on upgrades to the sewer network in the area around Heads Hope Dene to protect the environment and futureproof our assets.”