Wessex Water Fined £500,000 Following River Pollution and Fish Deaths

A £500,000 penalty has been imposed on Wessex Water due to the contamination of two rivers and the resulting deaths of thousands of fish. The utility company acknowledged multiple failures that resulted in the release of raw sewage into waterways in Wiltshire and North Somerset during 2018. Janine Maclean of the Environment Agency stated, “These cases are further examples of a water company breaking the law and causing serious pollution.” This fine represents the second-largest in the company’s history. A spokesperson for Wessex Water issued an apology, commenting that the incidents “shouldn’t have happened”. Clackers Brook, a minor river situated in Wiltshire, originates near Bromham and flows for five miles before converging with the River Avon in Melksham. Within its initial five-mile stretch, the brook flows past the Wessex Water sewage pumping station located at Bowerhill Lodge. In April 2018, the company permitted storm water mixed with raw sewage to enter the river for a duration of 54 hours. Subsequently in the same year, a mechanical and electrical malfunction resulted in additional sewage discharge into Clackers Brook. The Environment Agency determined that 2,100 fish perished, among them eels and lampreys, both of which are classified as endangered and protected species. Investigators documented that every fish within a 1km radius of the contamination point died. Senior officer Janine Maclean commented that it was “very sad the pollutions had such serious impacts – killing fish and other aquatic life”. The agency initiated legal proceedings against Wessex Water for violating its licence, and the company pleaded guilty to the charges. Concurrently, in North Somerset, close to Weston-super-Mare, a different sewage pipe ruptured in August 2018. This incident also led to untreated effluent contaminating rivers and the local marsh rhyne drainage network. This event resulted in additional fish fatalities, including spined stickleback and eels. The sewage conduit involved was identified as a “rising main,” which is a pipe designed to pump sewage under pressure. Wessex Water had previously recognized this rising main as critical and requiring monitoring before the incident occurred; however, monitoring measures were only implemented following the event. District Judge Joanna Dickens, presiding at Swindon Magistrates Court, determined the company to be negligent “of the failure to install monitoring equipment at an earlier time”. The Environment Agency stated that Wessex Water’s rising mains are “ageing” and are responsible for a significant number of the company’s pollution occurrences. Janine Maclean, representing the Environment Agency, commented: “We recognise the company is increasing its monitoring of rising mains, but monitoring is still reliant on failure, and we would like to see the company significantly increase the level of investment it makes to proactively replace rising mains before they fail.” A spokesperson for Wessex Water offered an apology for the incidents, stating that the company took action as soon as it became aware of the situation. They further added: “Since these incidents took place, we have invested in AI technology to detect where potential issues on our network might occur to further protect the environment.” Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our policy on external linking is available.