Home / Environment / Water Firm Fined £2.2M for Pollution Incidents
Water Firm Fined £2.2M for Pollution Incidents
5 Aug
Summary
- Severn Trent paid over £2.2 million to environmental charities.
- Enforcement action followed pollution incidents in Evesham and Cheltenham.
- Funds will support projects to enhance the environment and wildlife.
Water company Severn Trent has paid over £2.2 million to environmental charities as a result of enforcement action by the Environment Agency (EA). The significant payment follows investigations into water pollution incidents that occurred in Evesham, Worcestershire, and Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.
Of the total amount, £1.8 million was paid to Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, with an additional £450,000 directed to the Severn Rivers Trust. These contributions stem from two Enforcement Undertakings completed by the EA, enabling Severn Trent to address past environmental failures.
The incidents included unauthorised sewage discharges from Blackminster Wastewater Treatment Works into Broadway Brook between June and August 2022. Furthermore, the company failed to meet permit requirements for ammonia levels at Cheltenham Wastewater Treatment Works in September 2021.
Geoff Craig, environment manager for the EA, highlighted that this action allows the company to rectify its mistakes and channel funds directly into environmental improvement projects. He emphasized that the money will be reinvested in the local area, creating tangible benefits for both people and wildlife.
