Anglian Water fined after raw sewage flowed through Northamptonshire river for 23 hours killing 5,000 fish

A water company has been fined more than £500,000 after it failed to stop raw sewage from flowing through a Northamptonshire river.

Around six million litres of raw sewage – the equivalent of more than two Olympic swimming pools - was discharged into the River Great Ouse at Brackley on May 24, 2017.

The discharge, from the emergency overflow at the pumping station, started just before 6pm and was not stopped until around 5pm the next day - 23 hours later.

The pollution was found to have stretched 12 kilometres down river, killing 5,000 fish.

Anglian Water pleaded guilty to a breach of permit and was ordered to pay a fine of £510,000, costs of £50,000 and a victim surcharge of £170 at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (January 12).

Environment Manager at the Environment Agency Andrew Raine said: “The environmental impact of this pollution was substantial, resulting in a large-scale fish kill and affecting 12km of the upper River Great Ouse.

“Polluters should always be held to account, and, as much as our resources allow, we will always investigate significant pollution incidents and bring those responsible before the courts.

“We are grateful that the level of fine acknowledges the damage to the river ecosystems that this sewage spill from Anglian Water has caused.”

The court heard how an electrical failure caused the pumps to stop working and another electrical fault prevented the back-up system from working. This was further compounded by the failure of an alarm system, which was meant to notify staff there was a discharge.

A number of incidents were reported to the Environment Agency by members of the public and landowners, including numerous sightings of dead fish on the river.

A dog walker spotted 20 to 30 dying fish being carried by the river flow, gasping for breath belly up or tail up in the river.

Investigating Environment Agency officers also reported finding the bed of a watercourse that flows into the river was completely covered in sewage debris, including panty liners and tampons.

There was also fresh waste materials more than four inches up the banks, indicating levels had been higher.

Members of the public with concerns about pollution should contact the Environment Agency’s 24-hour incident hotline on: 0800 80 70 60.