Water firm to pay £300k over sewage fish deaths

A water company has been ordered to pay £300,000 after a backed-up sewer spilled into a river tributary, killing dozens of fish.

Waste from the Wessex Water sewer, which flowed into a River Yeo tributary in Somerset in September 2022, killed a number of bullhead fish and three-spined sticklebacks.

The money will go towards the Yeovil Rivers Community Trust to support habitat improvement projects in the area, including for endangered water voles, the Environment Agency has said.

Wessex Water said the money will not come from customer bills and said it recognises these incidents "are never acceptable" and explained that "reducing pollutions will always be a top priority".

"There were no serious pollutions on the Wessex Water sewer network last year but we recognise that incidents such as that near Milborne Port, which dates back to 2022 and resulted in the Enforcement Undertaking, are never acceptable," the company added.

"Reducing pollutions will always be a top priority for us, which is why we've invested in AI technology on our network to detect where potential issues might occur – meaning we can act faster to minimise any environmental impact."

Wessex Water has agreed to make improvements to reduce the likelihood of pollution in the future including lining the sewer network in the area and the installation of monitoring equipment.

The company will also cover the Environment Agency's investigation and enforcement costs of more than £6,500..

Lorne Thomson, chair of Yeovil Rivers Community Trust, said the funds will also be used to create "bunds and reedbeds which increase the quality of habitats for a range of flora and fauna".

Environment Agency environmental crime officer, Steven Federico, said the agency was "pleased" the money will go towards supporting local wildlife and habitats.

"Water voles are incredible creatures who play an important part in creating a healthy wetland," he added.

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