Timber firm fined for damaging water quality

Environmental health chiefs have fined a Somerset-based timber firm for damaging the water quality of the Glastonbury Canal.

Snows Timber, which was trading under the name Bradford Timber Supplies at the time, was forced to pay more than £16,000 after an environmental analysis discovered the firm had polluted the waterway with wood preservative.

Officers from the Environment Agency traced the spillage back to the firm after being tipped off that a number of fish in the canal had been found dead.

It said that the preservative was "extremely high" in pesticide content and on further testing discovered that some fish had consumed seven times the lethal limit of the chemicals.

Snows Timber was therefore found to be in breach of the Water Resources Act 1991.

Environment Agency spokesman Dave Sharp said: "This was a serious pollution incident that had a major effect on water quality in the Glastonbury Canal and caused the death of hundreds of fish."

Last month, the agency ordered Colchester-based poultry processor Paul Flatman to pay more than £20,000 for damaging the water quality of a stream over a two-year period.

Posted by Lauren Steadman