Severn Trent Water is to give £600k to the Trent Rivers Trust for polluting a kilometre of West Meadow Brook near Whitwick in Leicestershire after it failed to operate a pumping station properly.
An investigation by the Environment Agency revealed that the issue was not corrected for a few weeks in September 2022, and there was an overwhelming odour and a thick coating of sewage fungus covering the bed. Human faecal matter was also visible.
An Environment Agency investigation revealed that the discharge had been on-going for some weeks before, and Severn Trent admitted not only that their teams had failed to see that pumps were not activated, but that they had failed to monitor the site when the telemetry system had failed.
Emma Hardy, Minister for Water and Flooding, said: “Pollution incidents like this are completely unacceptable and should never have been allowed to occur. It is only right that Seven Trent pays for its failings, and I’m pleased local environmental charities will benefit.”
After years of failure, this Government is strengthening regulation further through the Water (Special Measures) Bill so that water companies are held to account, benefiting customers and the environment.
Matt Easter, chief executive officer for Trent Rivers Trust, said: “Whilst we would rather such incidents did not take place, Enforcement Undertakings are an effective tool to support the recovery of our rivers and catchments following severe pollution events.
“The funds will be used to restore and improve vital habitats and introduce or enhance natural processes that will cope better during any future pollution incident.
“With the funding, Trent Rivers Trust will create a more natural catchment to better support the communities and wildlife that depend on its health and resilience.”
