Yorkshire Water fined £350k for polluting Foss Dyke with sewage

The water company, appearing at York Magistrates Court on Friday to face sentencing, had admitted the offences in November last year.

It faced charges of illegally polluting Foss Dyke with sewage, and of failing to maintain a pump at the pumping station.

Yorkshire Water had been aware the backup pump wasn't working for five months, the court heard.

It had failed to repair it, despite the issue having been noted repeatedly during regular maintenance checks. It should have been fixed within 24 hours.

Martin Christmas is Yorkshire's area manager for the Environment Agency (EA), which carried out the investigation.

“Yorkshire Water failed to take action despite being aware of the risks posed by one of its pumps being out of action, which led to a sewage spill," he said after the case.

“We expect full compliance and are committed to taking robust enforcement action where we see serious breaches.

“Alongside increased inspections at sewage treatment works, additional enforcement tools and better reporting we’re determined to hold water companies to account.”

Pumping stations such as the one at Fossbridge send sewage through the system to a treatment works.

It is illegal to discharge into a river or waterway instead, unless agreed by a special permit, and in this area such a spillage would be agreed only as an emergency. Any such issue, from an electrical or mechanical failure or a blockage, would have to be fixed urgently.

But even though Yorkshire Water has sensors which monitor overflows, and a partial blockage was first noted in October 2017, nothing was done.

There was a main pump and a backup, and it was the latter that first failed. It was noted several times that it needed repairs, but the work was never carried out.

Comments from Yorkshire Water, under interview, said its repair was to be done by an external contractor but instructions had ‘got lost in the ether’.

Then, the following March, alarms sounded to indicate that sewage was spilling into Foss Dyke. Again the alarms were noted but it was attributed to high rainfall.

In some cases, environmental permits do allow this in storm conditions - but this does not apply in this area.

Again, Yorkshire Water did not attend - despite being in breach of its permit - and it was only two days later when a member of the public raised concerns that teams turned out.

It was found there were no functioning pumps at the pumping station.

Tankers were arranged to take the sewage away, but there were still two more incidents as teams struggled. Water samples also showed high ammonia levels.

Mr Christmas said: “Water companies have a responsibility to ensure their assets are maintained and in working order to protect the environment."