A York-based farming business which produces frozen vegetables for some of the country’s biggest retailers has offered to pay £23,640 to the Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust after spreading waste sludge on its land illegally.

J E Hartley Limited, of Roth Hill Lane, Thorganby, made the offer after repeatedly spreading waste sludge between March 2016 and February 2022 without permission, the Environment Agency said.

The company has a permit for spreading waste sludge produced by its own anaerobic digester on its land but has to apply to the EA first with information about what and where it is spreading.

The EA has to decide whether there’s an agricultural benefit.

Records showed it spread from 2,664 tonnes up to 10,530 tonnes in the years from 2013 to 2021. However, it only applied four times and all were refused as needing additional information. It meant the company avoided application fees of between £760 to £1,718 each time.

No environmental harm has been identified from the spreading, the EA said. Area Environment Manager Claire Barrow said: “It is vital that companies are aware of their environmental obligations.

"In this case JE Hartley Limited recognised that they had failed to comply with their environmental permit and we deemed it appropriate to accept an Enforcement Undertaking offer, which ensured that all avoided application costs were donated to a project that will enhance, restore and protect England’s natural environment.”

Enforcement Undertakings are a type of civil sanction which Ms Barrow said allowed offenders “to put things right”. The trust works to improve and protect the rivers and catchments of the Swale, Ure, Nidd, Wharfe and Ouse.

The firm had told the EA it will revise its procedures and not spread without permissions being in place.

Frozen vegetable producer offers to pay more than £20,000 after illegally spreading waste sludge