Yorkshire Water fined for polluting River Wharfe

Yorkshire Water Services (YWS) has been fined and ordered to pay court costs of £36,000 after allowing effluent to pollute the River Wharfe.

According to the Environment Agency, YWS of Western Way, Bradford, breached the suspended solids emission limit in its permit for the Tadcaster Trade Treatment Works.

Material with a biological oxygen demand content can kill fish and other marine life by starving them of oxygen, while suspended solids can smother creatures, reduce the amount of light which filters through and restrict plant growth.

Commenting on the case, industry regulation team leader Howard Stuttard said: "We welcome today’s sentence. The Environment Agency regulates treatment plants such as Yorkshire Water’s as part of its efforts to protect and improve water quality."

In related news, a Cornwall-based clay company was fined earlier this week for allowing effluent to pollute the River Fal on three occasions over a six-month period.

Written by Lauren Steadman