Northumbrian Water fined more than half a million pounds for sewage pollution in a County Durham

Northumbrian Water has been fined more than half a million pounds for polluting a stream with sewage in County Durham.

The water company pleaded guilty to causing or knowingly permitting a water discharge at Heads Hope Burn in Castle Eden, in May 2017.

They were fined £540,000 and ordered to pay costs of more than £142,000 and a £170 victim surcharge.

The Environment Agency, which brought the prosecution, said a blockage in a combined sewer caused raw sewage to "pour out of a manhole cover" and into the stream that runs through Heads Hope Dene.

Surveys found the ecology and habitat of the watercourse had been damaged for over a mile (2km), with river samples showing water quality had been affected for 2.5 miles (4km).

Northumbrian Water began immediate work to clear the blockage that day as well as remedial work to make improvements.

A longer term solution to re-route the sewer out of the Dene is underway. Credit: Environmental Agency.

Rachael Caldwell, Environment Manager for the Environment Agency in the North East, said: “We take our responsibility to protect the environment very seriously.

"Water companies have a legal duty to avoid pollution and must act quickly to reduce any damage that happens as a result of their activities. The regulations are clear and are enforced robustly."