Firms fined up to £105,000 over water pollution

A series of leading UK firms have been fined up to £105,000 for contaminating water resources.

Biffa waste services was fined a hefty £105,000 after admitting five charges of contaminating ground water in Sunderland. Acknowledging the charges at Sunderland Magistrates' Court, Biffa admitted to pollution which had leaked from storage tanks into the water table at a Houghton-le-Spring landfill site in 2010 and 2011. This had led to the leaking of leachate, which is produced when organic waste decomposes, into nearby water resources.

The charges were bought forward by the Environment Agency, which Biffa has argued it works with in order to guarantee safe water supplies. The waste company will also have to fork out a further £27,000 in repair and prosecution costs.

Thames Water meanwhile also faced a £10,000 fine over its sewage pollution in a stream in Oxfordshire, which led to the deaths of at least 270 fish. The pollution in Faringdon stream was caused by a leakage from a burst inlet pipe. The leak had lasted 48 hours and had even spread into the nearby woodland. Like Biffa, Thames Water also pleaded guilty at Oxford Magistrates' Court last week (February 22nd), and will pay a further victim surcharge of £15 and prosecution costs of £4,488.

According to the BBC, Thames Water spokesman Simon Evans said: "We deeply regret this incident. When problems like this occur we aim to sort them out as quickly as possible."

The convictions come after the UK government was called to pay closer attention to the vast water pollution that is being caused by leading industrial corporations. Ministers hope that these convictions will make companies pay closer attention to their waste management and how they export waste back into the wider environment.