Farming contractor fined for releasing wastewater into rivers

A farming contractor has received a fine for polluting a river with wastewater.

Michael Tucker was ordered to pay £10,000, following an investigation led by the Environment Agency, after it was discovered that the River Ken at Stowford Water was being contaminated by chemicals from Pirzwell Farm, Devon.

Officers were called to the area in March 2009, where they found a tractor driver was spreading trade waste on a field to be used as fertiliser.

However, there was a leak in one of the pipes, causing the effluent to seep into the water, which could cause oxygen levels to drop and endanger the lives of fish.

Michael Tucker was also found to have spread slurry on Edgeworthy Farm in Tiverton, which then washed off the field into a nearby waterway after a period of heavy rainfall.

The Environment Agency's Matt O'Brien said: "The spreading of slurry should be done with great care. It requires careful planning and awareness of soil and weather conditions. [The defendant] … spread slurry knowing full well there was a high risk of rain."

Last month, an agricultural contractor was forced to pay £5,000 after officers from the Agency discovered that significant quantity of waste had been tipped in a field at farmland in Dartmoor National Park.

Posted by Lauren Steadman