08/07/2005 - The failure
to stop raw sewage polluting a Nottinghamshire
brook on 7 July 2005 led to Severn Trent Water
being fined £8000 at Mansfield Magistrates
court.
The company pleaded guilty to a charge relating
to it causing polluting matter, in this instance
raw sewage, to enter Rainworth Water, a brook
in Rainworth.
The charge was brought by the Environment
Agency under Section 85(1) of the Water Resources
Act 11000. The company was ordered to pay
£4207.36p. costs.
Speaking after the case, Eric Stevens, an
Environment Agency Environment Management
officer involved in the investigation, said:
"Sewage can have a disastrous effect
on watercourses and water companies have a
responsibility to prevent sewage leaks happening
or, if they do occur, halt the flow as quickly
as possible. This was a serious incident and
this matter had to be brought before the court."
For the Environment Agency, Barry Berlin
told the court that on 1 April 2003, Severn
Trent Water (STW) was informed by a member
of the public that a blocked sewer off Rufford
Colliery Lane in Rainworth, was causing sewage
to enter a watercourse in Rainworth. By the
3 April 2003, the manhole was still discharging
sewage into the watercourse, although at this
time the flow was much worse.
An Environment Agency officer attending the
scene found sewage pouring into Rainworth
Water from a manhole cover near the brook.
A sample of the discharge was taken up and
downstream of the discharge.
Officers from STW attended the site. The
manhole covers had been buried, making it
harder to clear the blockage. As a result,
contractors were being arranged to locate
the sewer.
Environment Agency officers carrying out
an inspection of the brook downstream of the
discharge found that oxygen levels had fallen
to nearly half those found upstream of the
discharge.
STW and its contractors dug a large hole
near to where the sewer was thought to be
but they were unable to locate it. STW officers
informed the Environment Agency officer that
tankers would be attending the site and showed
the officer where the tankers would pump the
sewage which had backed up once it had been
removed from the sewer.
Later that evening, the Environment Agency
officer contacted STW for an update. A tanker
had arrived on site but the discharge had
not stopped. Approximately 50% of the flow
was stopped later.
On Friday 4 April 2003, the Environment Agency
officer inspecting the brook found sewage
pouring out of the manhole cover. No tanker
was on site at that time.
A sample was taken of the discharge and from
the brook up and downstream of the discharge.
STW and its contractors eventually cleared
the blockage later that day.
In mitigation, the court were told that STW
should be given credit for their early plea
of guilty and their co-operation with the
Environment Agency following the incident.
STW had since put procedures in place to ensure
that future reports of similar incidents to
STW’s customer control centre would trigger
an immediate attendance on site.
In sentencing, STW were told that there were
aggravating features in this case, the most
important being the delay on the part of STW
in attending the site following the initial
report made on 1 April 2003. This did not
trigger action until 3 April 2003.
