07/10/2005 - LEL (Properties)
Ltd was fined £15,000 on Monday after
pleading guilty at Barry Magistrates Court
for polluting the Sutton Brook, a tributary
of the River Alun, near Llandow, Vale of Glamorgan
with detergents on 13 October 2004 in a prosecution
brought by Environment Agency Wales.
Our officers were called to investigate reports
of foam of up to 10 feet high on the Sutton
Brook. The pollution was traced back to the
sewage treatment works, which serves Llandow
Trading Estate and the Vale Business Park.
The sewage treatment works is owned and maintained
by LEL (Properties) Ltd who also own the Vale
Business Park. LEL (Properties) Ltd have a
consent to discharge from the sewage treatment
works to the Sutton Brook from Environment
Agency Wales, which strictly controls the
quality of the water that is discharged.
Prior to the pollution in October 2004, LEL
(Properties) Ltd had received two warning
letters for failures at the works on 15 October
2003 and 2 March 2004. The Company had failed
to act on these consent failures and had exceeded
permitted levels on 1 April 2004, 5 May 2004,
8 June 2004 and the 5 January 2005. The company
accepted formal cautions for these failures.
An Environment Agency Wales Officer said:
"The Agency, at all times, has continued
to work with LEL (Properties) Ltd to address
the ongoing consent failures at the works.
We are working towards improvements at the
sewage treatments works and within the industrial
units it serves. All businesses should ensure
that they are aware of where their drains
are and where they lead.
All should be aware of the precautions they
should make when handling chemicals that may
find their way into the drainage system. Failure
to address simple housekeeping issues can
cause long term impacts to the aquatic environment
reducing the water quality and amenity use
for all other users".
