Yorkshire Water has been fined £865,000 following a pollution incident at its Ingbirchworth Water Treatment Works in South Yorkshire. The company was found to have discharged millions of litres of chlorinated water into Ingbirchworth Dike over nearly a month, with devastating effects on local aquatic life.
The discharge, which lasted from 1 November to 26 November 2017, involved around 1 million litres of chlorinated water released each day. This level of contamination, even at low chlorine concentrations, proved toxic to fish and other aquatic species. The pollution resulted in over 430 dead fish being discovered in a single day, and it is believed that the total death toll was much higher.
Yorkshire Water was ordered to pay the fine, alongside costs of £34,979.79 and a victim surcharge. The company had pleaded guilty earlier this year to a charge of polluting the watercourse. The court highlighted failures in the company’s systems, which allowed the release of chlorinated water into the environment despite alarms being set at incorrect levels and a faulty inlet valve. These system failures, along with a lack of adequate checks, were deemed a significant factor in the prolonged discharge and subsequent environmental damage.
Since the incident, Yorkshire Water has implemented corrective measures, including adjusting alarm settings, replacing the faulty valve, and introducing more stringent checks to prevent future occurrences.
