Water firm fined after sewage plant breaks permit

A water firm has been ordered to pay £36,000 in fines and costs after breaking the conditions of an environmental permit at a sewage treatment works seven times in five months.

The Environment Agency (EA) said Welsh Water exceeded permitted levels of ammonia at Clehonger Sewage Treatment Works near Hereford between 2020 and 2021.

The firm was fined £24,000 and ordered to pay costs of £11,835.86, as well as a surcharge of £181, at Kidderminster Magistrates' Court on Friday.

Adam Shipp, EA senior environment officer, said after the hearing that such incidents were "preventable and are completely unacceptable". Welsh Water said the court accepted there was no evidence of environmental harm.

Sewage treatment works treat raw sewage to produce an effluent which is discharged without damaging the local watercourse. At Clehonger, the water is discharged into the Cage Brook which is a tributary of the River Wye, the EA said.

The EA said officers were alerted following routine sampling in November 2020.

Mr Shipp said: "Incidents like this are preventable and are completely unacceptable, particularly at a time when the need to protect the water environment for wildlife and people has never been greater.

"Water companies are aware that their activities have the potential for serious environmental impacts, and they know that we will take action when they cause pollution."

A statement from Welsh Water said the company pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.

It said: "The site was compliant with its permit before this period and it has been compliant since."

It said the issue was caused by overloading at the works following new residential developments.

The statement said: "We took what action we could to ensure improved capacity at the works was funded by the developers by appearing before a planning inspector to explain the impacts of the original proposal.

"We upgraded the wastewater treatment works at a cost that was £1million in excess of the funding received from the developers."

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