04/05/2005 - A spillage
of pig feed into a ditch watercourse has cost
a Worcester farmer more than £6,700.
On 1 April 2005 Mr Brian Hobill, owner of
Hogbrook Farm, Claines, Worcester, pleaded
guilty at Worcester Magistrates Court to one
charge relating to him causing polluting matter,
namely pig feed, to enter a ditch which eventually
flowed into the Martin Brook.
The charge was brought by the Environment
Agency under Section 85(1) of the Water Resources
Act 1991. Mr Hobill was fined £5,000
and ordered to pay costs of £1,797.50.
Speaking after the case, an Environment Agency
spokesperson said: "It is important that
farms and other businesses take our advice
about pollution prevention measures and that
they ensure that any potentially-polluting
materials are stored and handled in well designed
and properly maintained facilities."
Mr David Rees, speaking for the Environment
Agency, told the court that on 22 June 2004,
Environment Agency officers found that a ditch
watercourse running next to the site was full
of a beige sludge, later identified as pig
feed.
Samples of this sludge showed that it had
an organic strength over 140 times that of
raw sewage. Investigations demonstrated that
this ditch drained into the Martin Brook,
a tributary of the River Salwarpe.
The Environment Agency had written to Mr
Hobill twice in 2002 drawing his attention
to their concerns regarding the risks of pig
feed entering this ditch.
In mitigation, Mr Hobill had pleaded guilty
at the earliest opportunity. He said that
he had cleared up the spillage as soon as
it was brought to his attention and that he
estimated that no more than 50 litres had
been spilled. It was his opinion that the
ditch did not drain into the Martin Brook.
