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United Utilities Pollute (December 2008)
For the third time this year, United Utilities (UU) have paid compensation to an angling club following the pollution of a fishery. When UU refused to settle without court action, the Anglers' Conservation Association (ACA) issued proceedings on behalf of the Common Bank Angling Club, based in Chorley in Lancashire, after their fishery was left decimated by sewage pollution. UU eventually agreed to pay £4,000 to compensate the club's losses.
In two separate incidents in March 2006, raw sewage was allowed to spew out of a manhole cover, into a feeder stream leading to the nearby Common Bank Lodge. The two spillages were attributed to a failure at the poorly-maintained Lydd Grove Sewage Pumping Station in Chorley. Damage to the lake was compounded by a simultaneous diesel spill, allegedly coming from a nearby hospital. Huge numbers of fish were killed - several hundred perch, roach, gudgeon, bream, carp and a few pike all perished - the majority dying slowly from lack of oxygen, with flocks of gulls visiting in the days that followed to pick off the dead fish floating on the surface.
The Club were expecting a robust response from the Environment Agency but were surprised and disappointed at the Agency's decision to merely send a warning letter to the utility company with no further legal action.
Phil Johnson of the club said: "We were unhappy with the Environment Agency fullstop. Club members found them dismissive, and pads that they placed on the water to soak up the pollution were just left in place and never removed. Eventually we disposed of the pads ourselves."
Mark Lloyd, the Executive Director of the ACA commented, "Claims against United Utilities are becoming a regular feature at the ACA. The company is also regularly unwilling to pay up for the damage it causes to our members' fisheries. We want UU to start taking more responsibility for its actions. Our message is clear: even if the Environment Agency doesn't enforce, we are ready to take civil action against any polluters if they damage an ACA member's fishery. We recommend that all the clubs and fisheries in the North West should join our organisation in case their river or lake is next to be polluted."
The ACA has settled two other pollution cases against United Utilities in 2008 - securing a £25,000 pay out following pollution of the Taf Fechan, in Mid Glamorgan, with aluminium sulphate in August 2006 and a £30,000 settlement for the Rochdale & District Angling Association after inundations of chlorinated, heavily silted water from a UU reservoir flooded their fishery. In 2007, UU agreed to settle after the issue of proceedings at court following the pollution of the Rivers Dane and Croco with raw sewage. The ACA is also appealing against a court judgement in April of this year in which the utility company were held not liable for allowing raw sewage to flow for two days out of a blocked mains sewer into the River Eamont in Cumbria in 2006.