UK Water Firms Face Record Pollution Fines

Courts have taken a harder line with UK water companies, imposing record fines in a series of high profile incidents. This year, two of the biggest firms in the industry have been hit with record fines for sewage leakages and other negligence with regard to pollution abatement.

Yorkshire Water received a fine of £1.1 million for allowing the discharge of sewage into the River Ouse close to York, while further south, Thames Water was slapped with a £1 million levy for polluting the Grand Union canal on several occasions.

Punishment previously too lax for crime

Three years ago, it was revealed that the 10 biggest water firms in the UK were responsible for the vast majority of pollution entering reservoirs, lakes and beaches. Though the best way to clean up flooded lakes and reservoirs is a topic open to debate, surely the best way to combat such pollution is to prevent it happening in the first place.

Environmentalists have argued that the big players in the wastewater treatment industry are so cash-rich that the relatively small fines being imposed upon them for their transgressions were not enough to force their hand. The facts would certainly seem to support such a hypothesis, with the 10 largest companies responsible for more than 1,000 pollution events between 2005 and 2013. Despite this astronomical figure, the companies in question were only fined a mere £3.5 million, a sum which one MP called “pitiful” at the time.

However, since the summer of 2014, the courts have been taking a more firm stance on water pollution. In the less than two years since, the eight largest subsequent fines have totalled over £5 million.

“These sorts of significant fines, which all large companies can now face for causing serious environmental damage, should act as a deterrent and help us better protect the environment and the public,” remarked Anne Brosnan, the Environment Agency’s head prosecutor. “Pollution incidents can impact on local communities, reduce water quality and spoil ecosystems. While water quality has improved dramatically over the last decade there is more to do.”

Companies looking to turn a corner

Yorkshire Water received their latest fine at the end of April for allowing sewage to overflow into the River Ouse, contaminating a kilometre of running water. The incident took place back in October 2013 and came as the result of the company not keeping its backup pump in working order – a situation that was found to have not changed a year later. As a result, they were fined a large amount to try and provoke a more responsible stance in the future.

“We accept the judgment and apologise for the pollution incident,” said a spokeswoman for the firm. “This was an unfortunate incident and the judge observed in court that Yorkshire Water takes its environmental responsibilities seriously and is clearly not a company that intentionally breaches its environmental obligations or flagrantly disregards the law.”

Meanwhile, Thames Water repeatedly allowed sewage to seep into the Grand Union canal between July 2012 and April of the following year. In January, this negligence was finally punished with a £1 million fine, which the company has accepted as a fitting figure.

“We take our responsibilities to the environment extremely seriously, and have invested heavily in the past 12 months to reduce the number of pollution incidents by around half. The hard work continues, however, as any impact on our customers or the environment caused by sewage escaping from our 68,000-mile network of sewers is unacceptable,” commented a spokeswoman.