12/05/2005 - The "reckless"
use of a ditch to hold farm effluent led to
pollution that killed at least an estimated
1200 fish, Cheltenham magistrates ruled on
Tuesday.
On 10 May 2005, at Cheltenham Magistrates
Court, Pendock Estates Ltd pleaded guilty
to causing pollution of Longdon Brook by ammonium
fertiliser from Underhill Farm, Pendock.
The company was fined £12,000 and ordered
to pay over £10,360 costs.
The pollution occurred in February of last
year. The Longdon Brook fishery, near Tewkesbury,
was wiped out with over 400 fish of different
species being killed. Altogether 11.5 km of
watercourse were severely polluted, with invertebrates
such as shrimps and caddis larvae, which act
as food for fish, being killed over a 2.6
km stretch.
The Environment Agency’s solicitor David
Rees told the court that on 20 February 2004
Environment Agency officers were called to
the scene of a reported fish kill. Hundreds
of dead fish were found, and the officers
started tracing the source, using both biological
and chemical investigation techniques.
The lengthy investigation identified the
source of pollution as coming from Underhill
Farm, Pendock. The officer’s investigation
identified poor farm-drainage infrastructure
which had led to the polluting material entering
into the headwaters of the Longdon Brook.
The concentration of ammonia in the ditch
at the farm was found to be approximately
6,400 times the acceptable water quality limit.
Magistrates called "reckless" the
use of a ditch at the farm for storage of
effluent contaminated with ammonia.
Environment Agency officer Anne Stafford
led the pollution investigation. Speaking
after the case she said: "This very serious
pollution shows how important it is to store
chemicals safely on farms. Ammonium fertiliser
is toxic to aquatic life, just like pesticides.
Farmers should never leave fertiliser in
an open heap – it should always be under cover,
and must not be allowed to enter surface water
drains or watercourses. We strongly recommend
that farmers follow the farming Codes of Practice
in order to reduce the risk of such pollution
incidents occurring.’
Counsel for the defendant Company Brendon
Moorehouse said that the Company had pleaded
guilty at the very first possible opportunity
and had fully co-operated with the Environment
Agency investigation.
Copies of Defra’s "The Water Code"
and the Fertiliser Manufacturers Association
(FMA) Codes of Practice for the Storage and
Handling of Solid/Fluid Fertilisers are available
free from the EA office at Tewkesbury, Defra,
the FMA or from the internet.
