2011 has already seen a number of successful prosecutions brought by Severn Trent Water against a number of companies for illegal discharges into the sewer network.
Rowley Regis based Decma Limited was fined £1,000 for making illegal discharges into the Severn Trent Water sewer network. The company has also been ordered to pay legal costs of £3,427.
The case was heard on Friday, 25 February, at Warley Magistrates Court Magistrates Court, following a prosecution brought by Severn Trent Water for breaches of the Water Industry Act 1991. It is a criminal offence under section 118 of the Water Industry Act 1991 to discharge trade effluent into the public sewer without the consent of the sewerage undertaker (Severn Trent).
Decma Limited had surrendered their consent to discharge trade effluent for their site on Titford Lane, Rowley Regis in 2008 as part of plans to close the site and move operations elsewhere. However, on 21 July 2010, Severn Trent officers found Decma Limited to be discharging trade effluent without consent from its site in Rowley Regis. Subsequent laboratory analysis confirmed the unauthorized discharge contained high levels of chromium.
In another case, Birmingham based A Gilligan (Coatings) Ltd was fined £2,000 for two counts of making illegal discharges into the Severn Trent Water sewer network. The company has also been ordered to pay legal costs of £4217.
The case was heard on Friday, 25 February, at Birmingham Magistrates Court, following a prosecution brought by Severn Trent Water for a breach of the Water Industry Act 1991. It is a criminal offence under section 121 of the Water Industry Act 1991 to contravene conditions regulating the nature and composition of trade effluent discharged into a public sewer.
On 22nd July 2010, A Gilligan (Coatings) Ltd was found to have discharged eight times the permitted limit for zinc.
Finally, Lydney based Forest of Dean Metal Finishers has been fined £9,000 for making illegal discharges into the Severn Trent Water sewer network. The company has also been ordered to pay legal costs of £3,475.20 plus VAT.
The case was heard on Tuesday, 8 March, at Gloucester Magistrates Court, following a prosecution brought by Severn Trent Water for breaches of the Water Industry Act 1991.
On 18 May 2010 Forest of Dean Metal Finishers, situated at Lydney Industrial Estate Harbour Road Lydney, was found to be discharging almost double the permitted amount of Nickel and Zinc into the public sewer.
Simon Cocks, waste water services director for Severn Trent Water, commented:
“The limits we set to regulate trade discharges are calculated to ensure they do not adversely effect the capacity of our sewage works to efficiently treat sewage, so exceeding this consent is not only illegal; it can also damage the sewage treatment process and risk causing harm to the environment.
“Our customers pay for damage to the sewer network and the treatment works, so it is important that we prosecute offenders in appropriate cases and take action to recover costs where possible.
He added:
Rather than having to take action in court, we would prefer to work together with businesses to prevent any breaches occurring in the first place.”
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