I
Ian Cloke
Guest
River polluting firm hit with ?20,000 fine
RIBBLE Valley abattoir Dunbia (England) Ltd, formerly Rose County Foods Ltd, has been fined ?20,000 for polluting a tributary of the River Ribble.
Bosses pleaded guilty to the offence, which occurred at the River Ribble at Gisburn Cotes Hall Farm, Sawley, on March 3rd, 2005, when the case came before Hyndburn Magistrates' Court on Friday.
The abattoir, which is based at Gisburn Road, Sawley, was also ordered to pay ?1,277.72 costs to the Environment Agency, which brought the prosecution.
Magistrates were told how the abattoir waste entered the River Ribble from a tributary and discoloured a 300-metre stretch of the river. The pollution was tracked back to a ditch, which was severely discoloured red/brown and effluent could be seen running off a field, which led to the tributary of the River Ribble.
The incident happened, the court was told, because Dunbia (England) Ltd spread effluent, including abattoir washing waters containing blood, on farm fields in this area.
Dunbia (England) was responsible for making sure that the spreading was only done under the supervision of suitably qualified staff, following proper consideration of the ground conditions. The guidelines for the code of Good Agricultural Practice for farmers and companies who spread effluent onto fields state that no spreading should take place within 10 metres of a watercourse.
A spokesman for Dunbia told the Clitheroe Advertiser and Times it was now considering an appeal against the fines.
"The offence of which the company was accused was of a technical nature and the magistrates remarked on the extent to which the company had sought to operate within the Environment Agency guidelines.
"The company has been advised that the sentence imposed by the magistrates may have been incompatible with the sentencing guidelines.
"The company is therefore considering an appeal and it would be inappropriate to make any further comment until this process is complete."
Speaking after the hearing, environment officer Jackie Monk said: "We're delighted that they were given the maximum fine possible for a magistrates' court. The pollution incident had the potential to do a lot of harm to the river. We take environmental crime very seriously and it's good that this has been acknowledged today."
RIBBLE Valley abattoir Dunbia (England) Ltd, formerly Rose County Foods Ltd, has been fined ?20,000 for polluting a tributary of the River Ribble.
Bosses pleaded guilty to the offence, which occurred at the River Ribble at Gisburn Cotes Hall Farm, Sawley, on March 3rd, 2005, when the case came before Hyndburn Magistrates' Court on Friday.
The abattoir, which is based at Gisburn Road, Sawley, was also ordered to pay ?1,277.72 costs to the Environment Agency, which brought the prosecution.
Magistrates were told how the abattoir waste entered the River Ribble from a tributary and discoloured a 300-metre stretch of the river. The pollution was tracked back to a ditch, which was severely discoloured red/brown and effluent could be seen running off a field, which led to the tributary of the River Ribble.
The incident happened, the court was told, because Dunbia (England) Ltd spread effluent, including abattoir washing waters containing blood, on farm fields in this area.
Dunbia (England) was responsible for making sure that the spreading was only done under the supervision of suitably qualified staff, following proper consideration of the ground conditions. The guidelines for the code of Good Agricultural Practice for farmers and companies who spread effluent onto fields state that no spreading should take place within 10 metres of a watercourse.
A spokesman for Dunbia told the Clitheroe Advertiser and Times it was now considering an appeal against the fines.
"The offence of which the company was accused was of a technical nature and the magistrates remarked on the extent to which the company had sought to operate within the Environment Agency guidelines.
"The company has been advised that the sentence imposed by the magistrates may have been incompatible with the sentencing guidelines.
"The company is therefore considering an appeal and it would be inappropriate to make any further comment until this process is complete."
Speaking after the hearing, environment officer Jackie Monk said: "We're delighted that they were given the maximum fine possible for a magistrates' court. The pollution incident had the potential to do a lot of harm to the river. We take environmental crime very seriously and it's good that this has been acknowledged today."