United Utilities fined £14,000

The company pleaded guilty to a prosecution brought by the Environment Agency at North Sefton Magistrates’ Court, and was also ordered to pay the Agency’s costs of £7,863.

According to the Environment Agency, the incident occurred as a result of failure of the foul water pumps at the Crowland Street pumping station.

The pollution caused the oxygen levels in the watercourse to fall and ammonia contained in the sewage is toxic to fish. 

A spokesperson from the Environment Agency said: ‘This was a major incident that had a devastating impact on the fish population. United Utilities owns and operates the sewer network throughout the region and is responsible for resolving any problems with this system. This incident caused significant damage to the environment, which could have been avoided or considerably reduced if the company had correctly reset a pump when it responded to an alarm.’

The seriousness of the incident has meant that it is also subject to the Environmental Damage (Prevention and Remediation) (England) Regulations 2009. The regulations came into effect on 1 March 2009 and look to remediate any serious environmental damage.