Severn Trent fined £600,000 for polluting Leicestershire brook with human faeces

A Leicestershire brook was polluted when Severn Trent Water failed to operate a pumping station properly, an investigation has found.

The investigation by the Environment Agency revealed that the issue was not corrected for a few weeks in September 2022.

Officers discovered that a kilometre of West Meadow Brook, near Whitwick, had been polluted.

There was an “overwhelming” odour and a thick coating of sewage fungus covering the bed. Human faecal matter was also visible.

The case has ended in the company offering an Enforcement Undertaking (EU) and giving Trent Rivers Trust £600,000.

An EU is a voluntary offer made by companies and individuals where the Environment Agency has reason to believe an offence has been committed.

It usually includes a payment to an environmental charity to carry out improvements.

The Environment Agency received reports of discharged sewage into the brook on 12 September 2022.

Contractors arrived at Brooks Lane Pumping Station the same day to stop the discharge.

The investigation revealed, however, that the discharge had been on-going for some weeks before.

Severn Trent admitted that its teams had failed to see that pumps had “latched out” and were not activated.

The company also admitted that their teams had failed to monitor the site when the telemetry system had failed.

Emma Hardy, Minister for Water and Flooding, said: “Pollution incidents like this are completely unacceptable and should never have been allowed to occur. It is only right that Seven Trent pays for its failings, and I’m pleased local environmental charities will benefit.

“After years of failure, this Government is strengthening regulation further through the Water (Special Measures) Bill so that water companies are held to account, benefiting customers and the environment.”

Neil Ratcliffe, the investigating officer for the East Midlands Environment Agency, said:
“Protecting the environment in the East Midlands and taking action against those that damage or threaten this is our utmost priority.

“We will always consider prosecution in the most serious cases, but Enforcement Undertakings are an effective enforcement tool for less serious cases.

“EUs allow companies to put things right and contribute to environmental improvements.

“They also allow polluters to correct and restore the harm caused to the environment and prevent repeat incidents by improving procedures.”

Matt Easter, chief executive officer for Trent Rivers Trust, said: “Whilst we would rather such incidents did not take place, Enforcement Undertakings are an effective tool to support the recovery of our rivers and catchments following severe pollution events.

“The funds will be used to restore and improve vital habitats and introduce or enhance natural processes that will cope better during any future pollution incident.

“With the funding, Trent Rivers Trust will create a more natural catchment to better support the communities and wildlife that depend on its health and resilience.”