23-May-2006
- A Lincolnshire drain was grossly polluted by
pig effluent and dirty water which ran off a field
during irrigation.
Landowner Hugo Marfleet was
today (Tues) fined £2,000 and ordered to
pay £1,000 towards costs at Louth Magistrates
Court after pleading guilty to polluting the Withern
Lowland Drain near Barfen Farm, Withern, Lincolnshire.
An Environment Agency biologist
noticed the pollution while carrying out routine
sampling of the nearby River Great Eau and reported
that the drain was black with white scum.
More than 200 metres of the
drain was affected by the pollution and where
it entered the drain the ammonia levels were 150
times higher than for an unpolluted watercourse
and very toxic to fish.
The piggery effluent and dirty
water was being irrigated onto a field nearby
but a coupling on the irrigator had not been locked
on properly and the liquid waste discharged from
the side, onto the field and into two land drains
which fed a tributary of the Withern Lowland Drain.
Marfleet irrigates his land
about once a month and although he said his procedure
included checking the watercourse, the irrigator
had not been checked for 20 days and neither he
nor his staff had noticed the pollution.
Magistrates were told that Marfleet
had been warned in 1999 for a similar incident
and should therefore have been aware of the risks
posed by the irrigation operation.
After the hearing an Environment
Agency spokesperson said: ‘This case clearly illustrates
the importance of preventing pollution to water
courses by regular checking of these irrigation
systems.’
Hugo Marfleet pleaded guilty
to: On or about 17 January 2005 caused poisonous,
noxious or polluting matter, namely pig slurry,
to enter controlled waters, namely the Withern
Lowland Drain near Barfen Farm, Withern in the
County of Lincolnshire.
Contrary to s85(1) Water Resources Act 1991.
