A cokeworks has been fined 12,500GBP for polluting a beck with red diesel.
At Darlington Magistrates’ Court today, James Durrans & Sons Limited admitted polluting Shiny Beck at Crook, County Durham, on 30 October 2008.
The company, of Phoenix Works, Thurlstone, Penistone, Sheffield, was also ordered to pay full prosecution costs of £2,861.77 and a victim surcharge of £15.
Trevor Cooper, prosecuting for the Environment Agency, said James Durrans & Sons had reported on 29 October 2008 that there had been a spill of 300 litres of red diesel into Shiny Beck from its Brancepeth Works in Willington, and a clean-up was ongoing.
Due to failing light, no Environment Agency staff attended that night but the following day officers inspected the beck, which smelt strongly of diesel. Iridescence was visible on the water’s surface and samples showed the presence of hydrocarbons, which was evidence of diesel.
The court heard a rubber pipe from a fuel tank became detached on the night of 28 October and the diesel had leaked out into the surface water drain, which ran into the beck. Company staff used absorbent pads the following day to try to soak up the diesel from the beck.
Mr Cooper said an ecologist’s report found the diesel spill had led to the death of insects and invertebrates for over two kilometres and aquatic life in the beck was expected to take up to two years to fully recover from the pollution.
Shiny Beck is a tributary of Old House Beck, which becomes Page Bank Beck, a tributary of the River Wear. Oil was seen on the banks and waterside vegetation and diesel was visible along the length of the watercourse and into the River Wear.
In interview, the company said the hose clips holding the fuel pipe had failed because they had become worn over time.
The court heard they company had no emergency procedures in place at the time to deal with such an incident and this, as well as the impact on wildlife and the delay in reporting the pollution to the Environment Agency, were aggravating factors.
In mitigation, the company had made attempts to clear up the spill, which was accidental, and co-operated fully with the Environment Agency investigation.
The company was given credit for pleading guilty at the first opportunity and since the spill has fitted extra valves and a sand trap.
James Durrans & Sons Limited were charged with one offence, that on or before 30 October 2008 it caused polluting matter, namely red diesel, to enter controlled waters, namely the Shiny Beck at Willington, Crook, County Durham.
Contrary to Section 85 (1) and 85 (6) of the Water Resources Act 1991.
