Severn Trent has prosecuted a second restaurant for blocking sewers with fat, oil and grease (FOG), and polluting a nearby watercourse.
In only the third case of its kind to be brought in the UK, SCE Catering Limited, trading as Saffron Cottage in Ford, Shrewsbury was ordered to pay the maximum fine.
As the company pleaded guilty, it resulted in a total fine, including costs of £9,266 at Telford Magistrates’ Court on 17 January.
Saffron Cottage admitted to “fat used in cooking being put down the drain and into the sewer” where it coagulated and caused the blockage. Severn Trent said the “huge blockage” resulted in the sewer overflowing into a local watercourse, causing pollution.
Under section 111 of the Water Industry Act it is an offence to discharge anything into the sewer that may “interfere with the free flow”.
Severn Trent said it visited the premises on several occasions, and sent various letters, asking for grease traps to be installed and warning of the consequences, but the owners did not comply.
Chris Giles, head of network operations for Severn Trent Water, said: “The verdict in this case is an important milestone for us, and we really want this to make other companies think about what they are doing with regards to disposing of fats, oils and grease and how it impacts our customers.
“We clear around 50,000 blockages a year and fat contributes to the majority of those, as it binds together all the other things that end up in the sewer rather than the bin and creates huge lumps which block the sewers. This is totally avoidable and in this case, simply installing a small grease trap could have prevented the situation.
“Legal action is a last resort for us, but our customers and the environment shouldn’t have to suffer because of the actions of one business not following the rules, and ignoring our advice.”
In October 2016, Severn Trent prosecuted Café Saffron in Church Road, Codsall, near Wolverhampton. The company was ordered to pay a total of £5,495, including costs for blocking sewers with FOG.
While a restaurant in East Grinstead, West Sussex was ordered to pay £2,285 in December 2015 after being taken to court by Southern Water.