United Utilities offers poisons amnesty to North Wales farmers

United Utilities has offered a pesticides and poisons amnesty to farmers in its region in a bid to prevent chemicals being poured into drains or onto land and potentially polluting an important watercourse.

Farmers with land in its Llangollen Canal drinking water catchment are eligible for United Utilities’ free service include those located along the canal length. United Utilities’ catchment manager, Dr Kate Snow, said “We run this offer regularly to allow farmers and landowners to dispose of illegal and out-of-date pesticides."

Snow added: “Many farmers have forgotten bottles and jars with unknown contents or stores of chemicals that they couldn’t use before the pesticide license expired or went out-of-date. It can be difficult and costly to legally dispose of these chemicals which is why we are offering this free confidential disposal scheme.

According to the water company, since the scheme started four years ago, it has collected and safely disposed of more than six tonnes of waste pesticides from farmers in Cheshire and North Wales.