Northumbrian Water gets £240k fine for polluting river with sewage

As well as the fine, Northumbrian Water must also pay £34,238 in costs after a prosecution brought by the Environment Agency

A water company has been fined £240,000 after sewage polluted a river and burn in County Durham.

Newcastle Crown Court heard sewage poured out of a manhole for two days in March 2017 from Coundon Burn at Auckland Park, contaminating a stretch of the River Gaunless.

Northumbrian Water admitted two counts of unauthorised discharges of sewage.

The firm said the damage to the manhole was caused by agricultural machinery owned by a third party.

As well as the fine, Northumbrian Water must also pay £34,238 in costs after a prosecution brought by the Environment Agency.

The court heard a brick had blocked a sewer which caused sewage to discharge into the water.

Manhole damage

Environment Agency inspectors took water samples and found about 300m (984ft) of the riverbed was covered in sewage.

In a statement Northumbrian Water said: "We accept the fine handed in relation to this incident which happened in 2017 as a result of damage by a third party as a direct result of damage to a manhole by agricultural machinery.

"Our performance in relation to pollution over the last three years has been industry-leading.

"While limited and very short-lived, there was an impact at Coundon Burn from this incident which we agree should not have happened."

The company was fined £540,00 last October after it pleaded guilty to causing or knowingly permitting a water discharge at Heads Hope Burn in Castle Eden, County Durham, in May 2017.