Anglian Water fined £300,000 for dumping pollution into Norfolk Broad killing thousands of fish

A water company has been fined more than a quarter of a million pounds after illegally pumping sewage into a Norfolk Broad, leaving 4,000 fish dead.

Anglian Water has been fined £300,000 after its pumping station at Ormesby St Margaret, near Great Yarmouth, discharged untreated sewage into a dyke which fed the nearby broad.

Samples taken by Environment Agency officers in Ormesby Broad at the time of the pollution in November 2018, found high levels of ammonia in the water at the Site of Special Scientific Interest.

The court hear the spill could also have impacted drinking water in the area.

The sewage leak led to the death of thousands of fish which had to be dredged out of the water while special aerators were rushed in, in a bid to save the dying fish that were seen in distress.

Experts discovered that the overflow of sewage was caused by a blockage of unflushable items in the pumping well.

Basildon Magistrates Court convicted Anglian Water on the grounds of negligence after hearing that the incident caused significant harm – so severe that it took nearly two weeks for the water quality in Spring Dyke to recover.

The company had pleaded guilty at hearing earlier this year – six years after the offence.

Anglian Water was ordered to pay a fine of £300,000 as well as £22,000 in costs.

Sentencing District Judge Williams said:”The effect on wildlife was deadly, with a significant number of fish dying and a large number seen in distress.

"There was an impact on local residents and also a risk that this could have entered the public water supply."

Graham Verrier, Environment Agency Area Director for East Anglia, said: “We take our responsibility to protect the environment very seriously.

"Where significant pollution incidents occur, the Environment Agency investigates and takes action to stop the pollution as quickly as possible and then to take enforcement action where necessary.”

A spokesperson for Anglian Water said: "We acknowledge that our actions at Ormesby fell well below the high standard we set for ourselves. We care deeply about any impact we have on the environment and are sorry this event happened.

“We know there’s no room for complacency and agree that our performance must improve. Since this incident, six years ago, we have fundamentally changed how the Water Recycling side of the business operates.

"We’ve put in place new processes, invested in new technology and additional monitoring, including specifically at Ormesby, all of which are already working to minimise the risk of anything like this happening again."

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know