7-Apr-2006 - Dwr Cymru
Welsh Water has been fined £10,000 after
foul sewage leaked from a public sewer, contaminated
a surface water discharge and then entered the
Nant Mychydd watercourse, at Llantrisant, Rhondda
Cynon Taf. This incident resulted in the death
of more than 800 fish. The company, which pleaded
guilty at Llwynypia Magistrates’ Court on Friday
31 March 2006 was also ordered to pay full costs
of £6,686 to Environment Agency Wales who
brought the prosecution.
Dwr Cymru Welsh Water pleaded
guilty to two charges:
Causing polluting matter to
enter controlled waters, namely the Nant Mychydd
at Llantrisant, contrary to Section 85(1) of the
Water Resources Act 1991. Fined £7,500.
and
Causing to flow into waters
containing fish, namely the Nant Mychydd at Llantrisant,
certain liquid or solid matter to such an extent
as to cause the said waters to be poisonous or
injurious to fish or the food of fish contrary
to Section 4 of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries
Act 1975. Fined £2,500
On 21 July 2004, effluent was
discharged into the Nant Mychydd watercourse,
a tributary of the River Ely from a surface water
outfall at the Llantrisant Business Park. An Environment
Agency Wales investigation revealed that the pollution
had caused a major fish kill and significant reduction
in invertebrate biological quality for a distance
1.5 Km downstream of the discharge point. Both
the Nant Mychydd and to a lesser extent, the River
Ely were affected.
Due to the large amount of sewage
fungus present in the Nant Mychydd it is believed
that the surface water outfall was discharging
regularly over a considerable period of time before
the incident was reported. The Agency prosecuted
Dwr Cymru Welsh Water for the same offence, at
the same discharge point in 2002 and as a consequence,
the company was aware of the problem.
Speaking after the case, Philip
Burgess, Agency Environment Management Team Leader
said: ‘We were extremely disappointed that, following
the pollution incident in 2002, Dwr Cymru Welsh
Water caused a further pollution to occur from
the same discharge point with such devastating
effects. The result of this case sends out a clear
message that we will not tolerate those that disregard
the environment in this manner and will not hesitate
to robustly prosecute those that do so.’
