Yorkshire Water has been hit with an £865,000 fine after a prolonged discharge of chlorinated water from one of its treatment works caused significant environmental damage. The company appeared at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on 30 July, following a guilty plea in February to charges of polluting Ingbirchworth Dike near Barnsley.
The court heard that Ingbirchworth Water Treatment Works illegally discharged approximately 1 million litres of chlorinated water per day into the watercourse for 27 days. Even at low levels, chlorine is toxic to fish and other aquatic life, resulting in over 430 dead fish found in one day. The court agreed that the total fish death toll was likely much higher.
Jacqui Tootill, Water Industry Regulation Manager for the Environment Agency in Yorkshire, emphasised that the pollution was not caused by an unforeseen event or extreme weather. “The systems were simply not robust enough and this wouldn’t have happened if proper checks had taken place,” she stated. The Environment Agency expects full compliance from water companies and is committed to taking robust enforcement action where serious breaches occur.
The incident began on 1 November 2017 when an alarm indicated that an inlet valve to the clean water wash tank had failed. Maintenance operatives were unaware that the capacity alarm was set above the overflow pipe level, leading to intermittent discharges. The discharge was only stopped after the Barnsley Trout Club reported dead fish at Scout Dike Reservoir on 26 November.
District Judge Tim Spruce noted that the series of failures by Yorkshire Water showed a high degree of negligence, resulting in ‘a prolonged and catastrophic loss of aquatic life’. The judge also highlighted that Yorkshire Water’s previous convictions suggested that higher fines had not been an effective incentive for improving regulatory compliance.
Since the incident, Yorkshire Water has made several improvements, including amending the alarm trigger, replacing the inlet valve, introducing weekly proactive checks, and moving the discharge pipes to on-site lagoons. These measures underscore the inadequacies of the pre-incident systems.
This case serves as a stark reminder of the environmental consequences of inadequate maintenance and oversight in water treatment facilities. It also raises questions about the effectiveness of current regulatory measures and fines in ensuring compliance and driving improvements in the water sector. As the sector moves forward, it must prioritise robust systems and proactive measures to prevent such incidents and protect aquatic ecosystems.