25/01/2005 - A civil engineering
company was fined £8,000 on January
20 for allowing silt to smother the bed
of a tributary of the River Loddon, in Winnersh,
Reading, killing the stream’s invertebrate
life.
Baram Limited, pleaded guilty at Reading
Magistrates’ Court and were ordered to pay
£8,000 and the Environment Agency’s
costs of £1,185, after they breached
the Water Resources Act 1991 for allowing
silt to pollute the watercourse.
On 26 April 2004 officers from the Environment
Agency visited a building site and noticed
that significant amounts of silt had been
deposited on the bed of a tributary leading
to the River Loddon.
Baram Limited, based in Hampshire, had
been employed by Bovis Homes to lay down
sewers for a new housing development behind
Chatsworth Avenue, in Winnersh.
But during the de-watering stage of laying
down the foul and storm sewer pipes, water
which had not been sufficiently de-silted
had been pumped directly into the river.
They were advised by the environment officers
that they had committed an offence.
Returning to the site on 27 April the environment
officers traced where pipes had been laid
down towards the stream and saw a large
amount of silt accumulated in the area.
The company did not have consent from the
Environment Agency to discharge to the stream
at this particular location. The pipes were
removed by the company who also offered
to clean up the silt.
The silt covered the bed of the tributary
for 350 metres up to the confluence with
the River Loddon severely effecting the
invertebrate life in the stream. Invertebrates
form the bottom of the food chain so any
harmful impacts can have a knock-on-effect
on the local river environment.
Carol Witt, investigating officer from
the Environment Agency, said: “The successful
outcome of today's hearing reflects the
serious impact that silt pollution has on
aquatic ecosystems. The fine imposed sends
a clear message to construction companies
that environmental matters must be core
to their business values. The Environment
Agency provide free pollution prevention
guidance to businesses, full details of
which are available on our website.”
Members of the public can report environmental
incidents to the Environment Agency’s 24-hour
emergency hotline on 0800 80 70 60.
