Water company handed £500,000 fine for sewage spill

Severn Trent Water has been fined £500,000 after thousands of gallons of raw sewage flooded a park in Birmingham.

The company said it was “truly sorry” for the spillage in Sutton Park, Sutton Coldfield in November 2013, which was due to a blockage in a sewer system within the park.

Officers from Natural England attended and mapped the extent of the damage and found that the sewage had spread across an area of 1.15 hectares. Sewage had also entered a nearby ditch and travelled 700 metres into the Longmoor Brook to the Longmoor Pool within the park.

Severn Trent Water liaised with Natural England, the Environment Agency, Birmingham City Council and Historic England to produce a plan to remediate the site.

However, the clean-up operation was found to be “slow and poorly managed”.

In passing sentence at Birmingham Crown Court, Judge Drew QC recognised that Sutton Park is an environmentally sensitive area, and a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest.

In mitigation, the court noted the company’s overall environmental record and set of values, that the company had accepted responsibility for the incident, and that it was not a commercially motivated offence.

The Environment Agency also said it has recognised an improvement in Severn Trent Water’s overall environmental compliance since the incident. The organisation was identified as an industry leading company in the Environment Agency’s Environmental Performance Assessment in 2017.

Emma Johnson, Natural England’s area manager for the West Midlands, said: “There’s a lot of love for Sutton Park. It is used and enjoyed by many, it’s a prime site for wildlife and is part of the history of the West Midlands. The sewage spill incident caused by Severn Trent Water and the impact it had is amongst the worst damage to a SSSI that Natural England have witnessed.

“It’s particularly disappointing as water companies should have technology and processes in place to prevent this type of spill from happening. Natural England have supported and worked closely with the Environment Agency and I hope that the outcome of this prosecution helps highlight the importance of protected sites and the need to look out for them.

“Looking forward, I am hopeful that ourselves and the Environment Agency can work with Severn Trent Water to rectify the issues and restore the site to a healthy state, and prevent future spills.”
In addition to the fine, Severn Trent was also ordered to pay legal costs of more than £50,000 and a victim surcharge of £120.