Yorkshire Water fined £865,000 for chlorinated water discharge

Yorkshire Water has been fined £865,000 with costs of £35,000 after a South Yorkshire water treatment works polluted the Ingbirchworth Dike near Barnsley with chlorinated water for almost a month in 2017.

Yorkshire Water pleaded guilty in February, and sentencing took place last week at Sheffield Magistrates Court.

Approximately 1m litres per day of chlorinated water was discharged. The Environment Agency said even at low levels, chlorine is toxic to fish and other aquatic life – and the spill resulted in over 430 dead fish being found in one day.

The problem related to the capacity alarm accidentally being set above the overflow pipe level in the chlorine tank, after an inlet valve failed and needed repair.