In May 2016, slurry held in a lagoon on a dairy farm overflowed into a ditch chamber that had not been correctly sealed off. The slurry killed approximately 1,700 fish in the River Frome and prevented water leisure activities taking place in the river.
The public alerted the Environment Agency (EA) who carried out an investigation and traced the slurry escape back to the dairy farm. The dairy farmer was found negligent fornot informing the EA about the initial spillage.
The farmer pleaded guilty to discharge without a permit contrary to regulations 12(1)(b) and 38(1)(a) of the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010 and was fined £3,000.
Not only was the farmer fined, he was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £170 and prosecution costs at a staggering £19,306.69 to the EA.
If you require legal representation for any crime related offences please contact our specialist Crime Team on either 01245 358894 or bricer@gepp.co.uk
