The Environment Agency has successfully prosecuted Edima Holdings Ltd, a Tamworth potato processing company, for causing a pollution which killed over 450 fish. Cannock Magistrates Court fined the company £6,500 and a total financial penalty of £21,264 was imposed on the company which included a contribution to prosecution costs of £10,000.
The court heard that the company, which pleaded guilty to an offence under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations, 2010, operates under the name ‘Mike’s Potatoes’ from premises at Langley Brook Farm, Middleton, Tamworth. The company had previously been cautioned for a similar offence.
The Environment Agency mounted an investigation after a member of the public reported seeing two dead fish and milky froth on the water of the Langley Brook in September 2016. Officers found more than 450 dead fish along the brook. The source of the pollution was traced to a trade effluent lagoon at Edima Holdings Ltd. A pipe pumping into the lagoon was split, and a crude attempt had been made to repair it. This was discharging into a ditch then into the brook.
Following the hearing, a spokesman for the Environment Agency, following the hearing, said, “This was a serious case of pollution that resulted in a large number of fish dying. We take all such cases seriously and this prosecution sends out a message to companies that they must take their environmental responsibilities with equal seriousness.”
Photo source: Gov.uk