The Environment Agency launched an investigation after Yorkshire Water, which has its headquarters in Bradford, polluted Pools Brook Country Park stream three times in less than a year, with the first incident in October 2018.

Yorkshire Water appeared at Derby Crown Court for sentencing today for three separate sewage spills at the 165-acre park in Staveley, Chesterfield and was fined £733,333.

The company had previously pleaded guilty to all three offences in January 2024.

A spokesperson for Yorkshire Water said, since the last incident in 2019, £2.5 million has been invested to relocate the two sewers involved, and it has “looked carefully at our company processes to enhance these where necessary” to prevent something similar happening again.

Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds said: “This repeated sewage pollution by Yorkshire Water is appalling and the £733k fine handed out today sends a clear message that polluters will pay.”

The stream at Pools Brook Country Park was also polluted on October 1, 2018 (Image: Environment Agency)

Various fish killed in pond

The first pollution incident happened on October 1, 2018, when a rising main sewer pipe from Pools Brook sewage pumping station burst.

This caused untreated sewage to spill from a manhole into the stream that runs through the country park and a pond there, and then into the River Doe Lea.

Various fish in the country park pond were killed – including tench, pike and roach – along with dead river insects.

The impact on water quality stretched for more than 600 metres.

The failure of the rising main was due to severe corrosion.

Sewage spillage twice

The second pollution incident, on February 27, 2019, was caused by a blockage in the plastic foul sewer pipe, leading to a pressure build-up in a joint of the pipe.

This foul sewer pipe was suspended on chains inside a surface water sewer pipe, which would normally only contain rainwater and runs into the Pools Brook stream.

The blockage – mainly wet wipes – eventually caused a leak of sewage into the surface water pipe, which entered the stream.

The third pollution incident, which happened on August 7, 2019, was caused by a failure of a joint coupling in the same plastic foul sewer pipe, but in a different location.

This again led to sewage spilling into the surface water pipe and entering the Pools Brook stream.

There was no evidence of fish being affected in both instances, but the impact on water quality was evident over 700 metres on the first occasion and more than 600 metres on the second.

Yorkshire Water would not attend an interview for any of the three incidents.

The state of the stream at Pools Brook Country Park, in Staveley, Chesterfield after a sewage spill on February 27, 2019 (Image: Environment Agency)

Yorkshire Water actions were ‘unacceptable’

Chair of the Environment Agency, Alan Lovell said: “Polluting the same stream three times in less than a year is unacceptable and we’re pleased Yorkshire Water has now been dealt with by the courts following our investigation.

“We expect full compliance and are committed to taking robust enforcement action where we see serious breaches.”

Full Yorkshire Water statement

A Yorkshire Water spokesperson said: “In the seven years since the last incident at Pools Brook occurred, we’ve invested over £2.5 million to relocate the two sewers involved in these incidents as well as identifying key learnings which have been embedded across our business.

“We have also looked carefully at our company processes to enhance these where necessary so we make sure a similar incident doesn’t happen again.

“Protecting the environment is a key part of what we aim to do, so when incidents occur that fall far below our normal standards we ensure they are thoroughly investigated and put actions in place to make sure they don’t happen again.

“No pollution incident is ever acceptable.

“We want to apologise for the impact the incidents at Pools Brook had in 2018 and 2019 which were the result of an inadequate external protective coating being applied to one of the sewers and wet wipes building up and causing blockages in the other sewer. 

“Looking ahead, we are underway with our largest ever environmental investment programme where we are investing £8.3 billion before 2030 – an average of £3.2 million every day – to improve service levels, reduce any negative impact on the environment, and make the water infrastructure in Yorkshire fit for the future.

“This reflects our long-term commitment to delivering better service for our customers, communities, and the environment across our region.”