Charities get £2.2m from pollution incident fines

A water company has paid more than £2.2m to countryside charities following enforcement action taken by the Environment Agency (EA).

Severn Trent was investigated for water pollution incidents in Evesham, Worcestershire and Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.

The firm has paid more than £1.8m to Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust and £450,00 to the Severn Rivers Trust.

Geoff Craig, environment manager for the EA, said the action allowed Severn Trent to "put right what went wrong and channel money directly into the environment".

The money is supporting a number of projects after two Enforcement Undertakings were completed by the EA.

The first was for two unauthorised sewage discharges from Blackminster Wastewater Treatment Works, Evesham, between 12 June 2022 and 20 August 2022 into Broadway Brook.

The company also failed to comply with a permit for levels of ammonia in effluent at Cheltenham Wastewater Treatment Works, Hayden Lane, on or before 13 September 2021.

Craig said the money would be "invested back into the local area to enhance the environment, delivering real benefits for people and wildlife".

A spokesperson for the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust said the funding would support environmental restoration work, particularly the Severn Treescapes project, helping to plant and restore trees across the landscape.

"Trees play an important role in protecting rivers by filtering pollutants before they reach waterways, stabilising riverbanks, reducing soil erosion and helping to slow the flow of water during heavy rainfall."

A spokesperson for the Severn Rivers Trust said enforcement undertakings provide an opportunity to deliver "targeted environmental improvements" that help address the impacts of pollution and strengthen the resilience of rivers.

"The funding secured will enable us to deliver a package of practical river restoration measures, through river habitat restoration, floodplain reconnection, wetland creation and working with landowners to reduce diffuse pollution."

A Severn Trent spokesperson said: "Our focus is always on preventing pollutions before they happen, but when things do go wrong, we act quickly, take ownership and put things right.

"This funding supports organisations like the Wildlife Trust and Rivers Trust to make a difference, while we continue to invest billions in our network to build resilience for the long term."

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