Leading UK bread makers, Allied Bakeries Ltd was fined on 12 October after it admitted to polluting a Hertfordshire river with waste effluent from its Stevenage bakery.
Allied Bakeries Ltd, producers of brands including Kingsmill, Allison and Sunblest, failed to correct a connection fault in its drainage system at its plant in Cartwright Road, Stevenage. The misconnection allowed waste effluent to enter a surface water drain leading to the River Beane, when it should have gone down the foul sewer for treatment.
The waste effluent polluted the River Beane, more than two miles away, turning it brown and cloudy, and creating a ‘sewage-like’ smell.
The company was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £1,656.46 costs.
Officers from the Environment Agency first became aware of the pollution on 11 February 2005 after a member of the public reported that the river in Walkern, near Stevenage, was discoloured, and said it was particularly bad after heavy rainfall. When officers inspected the river at Finches End they could not find any trace of the pollution, but returned on 22 February after a period of heavy snowfall.
During this visit they found the river water had turned very brown and cloudy, with a strong smell similar to stagnant sewage. Samples taken at the scene revealed normal levels of ammonia, ruling out sewage as the cause.
Officers then returned in March with specialist contractors to trace the source of the pollution through the surface water drainage system. The source was traced back more than two miles to the Allied Bakeries’ plant in Cartwright Road. Investigating officers interviewed site managers there and the company agreed to undertake a number of improvements to prevent any waste dough from entering the surface water drainage system.
During another site meeting on 17 March, the company informed the investigating officers that it had recently developed an area of the site where soya brine was being stored. They believed the drain in this area was connected to the foul sewer for treatment, but fluorescent dye poured down a drain there found its way into the surface water system linked to the River Beane.
Officers instructed the company to seal the drain from the surface water drainage system, and to have their waste tankered away each day until the misconnection had been corrected.
But on 22 March 2005 the Environment Agency received further reports that the Beane was still being polluted. Under interview, the company said that this incident may have been caused when one of its vehicles was being washed towards the rear of the site, and that if the vehicle overhangs the sealed area, some of the waste water could have entered the surface water system.
Investigating enforcement officer for the Environment Agency, Lisa Radwell, said:
“The level of the fine reflects the seriousness of the pollution and sends a clear message to other companies that they should have appropriate drainage and pollution prevention methods in place for their operations on site. The effect on the river could have been much greater had it not been for the two miles of surface water drainage between the bakery and the River Beane which helped to dilute the pollution.”
Members of the public can report environmental incidents to the Environment Agency by calling freephone 0800 80 70 60.
Source: The Environment Agency - October 2005. Contact: enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk
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