Severn Trent Water Ltd has paid £226,000 to the Trent Rivers Trust following a sewage pollution incident.
Back in August 2016 two blockages in the Severn Trent foul sewer caused a discharge of sewage into the Thurcaston Brook, a tributary of the Rothley Brook in Leicestershire. The incident caused the death of more than 2000 fish in the area.
Severn Trent admitted its error in causing the incident and were consequently happy to make the donation.
Trent Rivers Trust received the money as part of an Enforcement Undertaking offered to the Environment Agency by Severn Trent for causing the incident.
Enforcement undertakings are a form of civil sanction that enables businesses to propose actions to make amends. Instead of waiting for the Environment Agency or a local authority to impose sanctions, businesses can make an offer to put measures in place to correct their breach. The use of these undertakings is on the increase. Over the past few years the Environment Agency say that more than £3.7 million had been given in charitable payments over 44 separate Enforcement Undertakings in lieu of prosecutions for environmental offences.
Environment Agency officer, Lee Whitehouse, commented: "Enforcement Undertakings allow polluters to positively address and restore the harm caused to the environment and prevent repeat incidents. The Environment Agency is increasingly using this method of enforcement for suitable cases to restore the environment, improve practices of the offending company and avoid longer criminal court cases. However, we will prosecute in appropriate cases."
The charity will use the money to improve water quality in the Thurcaston/Rothley Brook catchments and on associated restoration projects.
One of Trent Rivers Trust’s senior catchment managers, Kim Jennings, said: "The funds received from this Enforcement Undertaking have provided valuable financial support to enable many of our partners to deliver work in the catchment that would otherwise have not been possible. Our planned work will increase the number and range of habitats and its overall value for wildlife. It will not only address the impact of the pollution event, but help restore both brooks to a healthy state for future generations to enjoy."
Severn Trent also paid the Environment Agency's costs for incident response and enforcement.
The company said they agree to take action at the site to improve their infrastructure, inspection regimes and also to raise awareness of pollution prevention and control across employees and contractors. A spokeswoman for Severn Trent commented: "We work really hard to ensure our assets don't cause any issues for the environment but, very rarely, when things go wrong, we work closely with the Environment Agency to help put things right. We got it wrong this time and are more than happy to make this donation to the Trent Rivers Trust."
