Environment Agency fines farm over damaging water quality

A farm in Evesham has been fined more than £3,800 after pleading guilty to causing pollution in the Battleton Brook.

The Environment Agency brought the prosecution against Shaneal Farms Limited and Michael Miller of Greville Hall Farm, Evesham, following an incident in May 2008 which resulted in one mile of the watercourse becoming polluted by slurry.

Worcester Magistrates' Court was told that a lagoon holding diluted cattle slurry at Greville Hall Farm had overflowed onto a track and then been diverted into the Battleton Brook.

The company admitted that it had been aware of the overflow for 24 hours before it attempted to remedy the situation.

According to the Environment Agency, water quality in the stream was reduced considerably, with oxygen levels found to be at less than half their expected concentrations.

The organisation has identified biodegradable waste, which includes slurry, as one of the types of waste that has the greatest potential impact on the environment.

Posted by Claire Manning