Yorkshire Water fined £150,000 for illegal discharge at nature reserve

Yorkshire Water has been fined £150,000 after Environment Agency prosecuted it for illegally discharging sewage effluent into the Potter Carr Nature Reserve – a site of Special Scientific Interest – in March 2017.

Yorkshire Water Service had earlier pleaded guilty to charges of causing sewage sludge to enter a tributary of the Mother Drain and breach of permit condition relating to ammoniacal nitrogen levels in their final treated sewage effluent. It was ordered to pay cost of more than £36,500.

The court heard that in March 28 2017, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust reported that Mother Drain at the Potter Carr Nature Reserve, had become discoloured and smelt of chemicals.

Environment Agency officials attended and requested the Internal Drainage Board to switch off a pump station used for land drainage to prevent polluted water entering the River Torne. Once the Environment Agency contacted Yorkshire Water Services, the company confirmed that there was an issue at Balby Sewage Treatment Works.

Yorkshire Water subsequently explained that a valve failure had led to sewage sludge. draining from a settlement tank into surrounding ground. There was no sign of dead or distressed fish.

Yorkshire Water explained that the valve failure happened on the day before the release was reported and it had thought the effluent release was contained on site. Yorkshire Water said also that electrical damage caused by the incident had disrupted the sewage treatment processes.

The judge described Yorkshire Water's conduct as ”highly negligent” because the incident could have been avoided had there been a drain survey at the site and if the valves had been checked. A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: “Yorkshire Water has failed the environment, customers and the system of environmental laws the public puts its trust in.”