Water firm hit with £15,000 fine

A water company has been fined £15,000 for failing to supply samples from an effluent treatment works on Teesside.

The Environment Agency took Northumbrian Water to court, after the firm failed to provide samples from its Bran Sands works near Hartlepool.

The firm pleaded guilty at Teesside Magistrates' Court to failing to comply with discharge regulations.

An agency spokesman said failures meant it could not monitor water quality at a site used by wetland wildlife.

The court took 25 other offences into consideration when handling down a fine.

Environment agency spokeswoman Jill Fogg said the treatment works was near a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) at Seal Sands.

The agency visits the works to collect samples 48 times a year.

But on 17 out of 56 visits between January 2005 and February 2006, Northumbrian Water failed to provide full sets of samples for analysis.

Northumbria Water accepted it was in breach of the rules, but that their own research showed no harm had been done to the watercourse or wildlife from any discharges.