16/03/2006 - The Environment Agency has prosecuted Sea Containers Property Limited for breaching its sewage treatment consent levels at a former college its owns in Arundel, West Sussex. Sea Containers Property Services Limited appeared before Chichester Magistrates Court on Wednesday 15 March 2006 and pleaded guilty to the offence that took place in July 2005. The company was fined £2,000 and ordered to pay costs of £858.50 to the Environment Agency.

Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) is a measure of the amount of oxygen taken up by bacteria living in the effluent once it enters a watercourse and at high levels aquatic life can suffocate. Raw domestic sewage has a BOD level of 300-350mg/l. Suspended solids interfere with fish gills and can smother river life.

Under Section 85(6) of the Water Resources Act 1991, Sea Containers Property Ltd has a consent that allows the property to discharge treated sewage effluent into the River Arun as long as the BOD level does not exceed 40mg/l and the suspended solids 60mg/l. The effluent is sampled regularly during the year to make sure the company is complying with the consent and that no pollution to the river is caused.

The Court heard that on 12 July 2005 an Environment Agency Officer visited the New England College to take samples from the private sewage treatment works on site. When analysed this showed the BOD level to be 133mg/l and the suspended solids level to be 169mg/l. This meant that the BOD level was almost half the strength of raw sewage and it was over three times the agreed consent, as was the suspended solids level.

In mitigation, Sea Containers Property Services Ltd said that since the incident occurred maintenance checks at the treatment plant have increased from once per annum to four times a year.

They had also previously requested that residents did not dispose of non-biodegradable waste, such as sanitary products, via the sewerage system but these warnings were ignored. The company also did not profit financially in any away from this incident and regretted the potential for harm to be caused to the environment.

Commenting on the case, Environment Management Officer Fay Baldry said: "The discharge from the sewage treatment plant has been an ongoing issue that we had been trying to get resolved for a long time. The company had been warned and given sufficient time to rectify the problems but failed to do so.

"As a last resort we will take enforcement action when required to protect the environment. This is unacceptable and shows that the company has no regard for its responsibility to the environment."