Paul Gainey - 5-Nov-2007
- A Cornish based mineral company was today
ordered to pay £3,985 in fines and
costs after fine clay particles were allowed
to pollute a river known to support populations
of salmon and brown trout for more than
eight hours.
The case was brought by the Environment
Agency.
The Stannon River is a high quality watercourse
and a tributary of the River Camel Special
Area of Conservation (SAC) and the Stannon
Pit is a former china clay pit owned by
Imerys Minerals Limited, near Camelford.
The site is subject to on-going restoration.
On 14 February, 2007 Imerys Minerals Ltd
notified the Agency that water from a mica
dam had breached the embankment and entered
a lower dam. As a result, the water in the
second lagoon became discoloured and discharged
to a perimeter leat and then to the Stannon
river.
Imerys Minerals Ltd said the water levels
were increased due to the extreme rainfall
before the incident.
Subsequently Cornwall County Fire Brigade
were requested by the company to use a pollution
control vehicle, which is jointly funded
by the Environment Agency and the fire brigade.
Suspended solids are known to have an adverse
effect on aquatic species – including smothering
of spawning gravels and plants and abrasion
of fish gills. No dead fish or other aquatic
life was noted as a result of this incident.
‘Imerys did not have the necessary equipment
or resources to deal with the problem and
allowed the polluting discharge to continue
for longer than was necessary,’ said Paul
Mitchell for the Environment Agency.
‘In the event of observing pollution incidents,
the public should contact the Agency immediately
on the emergency 24 hour freephone 0800
807060.’
Imerys Minerals Limited, of Par Moor Centre,
Par Moor Road, Par, Cornwall, was today
fined £3,000 and ordered to pay £985
costs by Bodmin magistrates after pleading
guilty to causing polluting matter, namely
suspended solids, to enter controlled waters,
namely the Stannon Stream and the River
Camel contrary to Section 85 (1) and (6)
of the Water Resources Act 1991.
+ More
Thousands of fish for devastated river
Rita Penman - 5-Nov-2007 - Photo Opportunity:
The Environment Agency is putting thousands
of fish back into the River Slea after a
pollution incident decimated its fish stocks.
In 2003 hundreds of litres of pesticides
were washed into the River Slea when haulage
contractor Michael Raynor and local contractor
Gordon Bristow were cleaning out pesticide
drums on behalf of Gareth Toogood, of Marque
Technology Ltd.
The two men let the contaminated water
run off into a drain, which led into the
River Slea. Some 15 miles of river downstream
of Sleaford were contaminated, and although
the Environment Agency was quick to try
and contain the incident, around 100,000
fish were killed and all other aquatic life
was wiped out.
In 2005 the Environment Agency took Raynor,
Bristow and Toogood to court over the incident,
and the trio was ordered to pay £33,000
towards the cost of re-stocking the river
and £62,000 towards Environment Agency
legal costs.
On Wednesday fisheries officers from the
Environment Agency will be donning their
waders and releasing 2,000 rudd, 1,000 roach,
2,000 bream and 1,000 dace at various points
along the River Slea. These 6,000 fish have
a combined value of £6,000 – paid
for by the proceeds of the prosecution.
This is the third year that such re-stocking
has taken place. Wednesday’s 6,000 fish
will bring the total number of fish put
back into the river to 24,000. It is hoped
that the fish will now start to recolonise
naturally but if a survey finds that is
not the case, then more fish will be stocked
again next year.
Chris Reeds, Ecological Appraisal Team
Leader said:
‘By restocking the river we are hoping
to give it a new lease of life, and restore
the fishing here to its former glory. The
pollution in 2003 was absolutely devastating
for the river, and in fact was the most
serious water pollution incident ever seen
in Lincolnshire.
‘The River Slea once boasted a very lively
fish population and in time we hope the
fish stocks in the river will thrive again.’
