Farmer fined for river waste leak

The River Brue is popular with fishermen

A Somerset farmer has been fined £1,000 after an effluent sewage leak at a river killed more than 100 fish.

The Environment Agency was called in after water in the River Brue turned pale and had a strong chemical smell.

It was traced to an effluent lagoon at Creech Hill Farm. Owner Mervyn Walters told Wells magistrates that a former employee left a tap open on purpose.

He pleaded guilty to causing the matter to be discharged and was ordered to pay the fine and £1,431 in costs.

'Avoidable'

The Environment Agency said an estimated 2,500 gallons of effluent had been lost from the farm's lagoon.

Dead fish were discovered up to 8km (5 miles) downstream of the farm on the River Brue, which is popular with fishermen. Several houses backing onto the river were also affected by the spill.

The effluent at Creech Hill farm used to be piped to irrigation equipment in surrounding fields, but the main pipe from the lagoon is no longer connected.

Environment Agency officers noticed that the tap that used to control the flow of waste to the farm's old underground pipe system was not fitted with a lock and could be accidentally damaged by the movement of farm machinery.

Jonathan Gilling, from the agency, said: "This pollution incident was avoidable. A simple lock on the tap would have been a sensible precaution."