Wessex Water fined £6,000 for pollution (From Dorset Echo)

Wessex Water fined £6,000 for pollution

1:00pm Saturday 20th March 2010 in

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Wessex Water has been ordered to pay £8,235 in fines and costs after a sewage treatment works in Dorset discharged polluting matter into a tributary of the River Stour.

The case was brought by the Environment Agency.

Wessex Water Services Ltd own and operate a sewage treatment works at Shaftesbury, near Gears Mill. It collects and treats crude sewage including trade effluent discharges from properties in the area.

The discharge of biologically treated sewage effluent from the site is consented by the Environment Agency and the conditions of the consent are set at levels to prevent harm to the environment.

On or before March 4 2009 an unknown influent severely impacted on the sewage treatment works’ ability to treat incoming crude sewage.

Wessex Water did divert some influent to storm tanks, moved some final effluent to empty tanks to mix before discharging or re-circulating through the works, and also tankered some effluent away, to try and resolve the problem.

However, they allowed effluent to discharge into the stream and did not inform the Environment Agency for two days. Wessex Water was fined £6,000 and ordered to pay £2,235.41 costs by Weymouth Magistrates.