A water firm has been ordered to pay £36,000 in fines and costs after breaking the conditions of an environmental permit at a sewage treatment works seven times in five months.
The Environment Agency (EA) said Welsh Water exceeded permitted levels of ammonia at Clehonger Sewage Treatment Works near Hereford between 2020 and 2021.
The firm was fined £24,000 and ordered to pay costs of £11,835.86, as well as a surcharge of £181, at Kidderminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday.
Adam Shipp, EA senior environment officer, said after the hearing that such incidents were “preventable and are completely unacceptable”. Welsh Water said the court accepted there was no evidence of environmental harm.