Costly fine for pig feed spill

A SPILLAGE of pig feed into a ditch watercourse has cost a Worcester farmer more than £6,700, the Environment Agency reports.

On April 1 the farmer pleaded guilty at Worcester Magistrates Court to one charge relating to him causing polluting matter, namely pig feed, to enter a ditch which eventually flowed into the Martin Brook.

The charge was brought by the EA, and the farmer was fined £5,000 and ordered to pay costs of £1,797.50.

Speaking after the case, an EA spokesperson said: “It is important that farms and other businesses take our advice about pollution prevention measures and that they ensure that any potentially-polluting materials are stored and handled in well designed and properly maintained facilities.”

The court heard that in June last year EA officers found a ditch watercourse full of a beige sludge, later identified as pig feed, draining into the Martin Brook, a tributary of the River Salwarpe.

Samples of the sludge showed that it had an organic strength over 140 times that of raw sewage, the EA found.

The EA had written to the farmer twice in 2002 drawing his attention to its concerns regarding the risks of pig feed entering the ditch.

In mitigation, the farmer had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.

He said that he had cleared up the spillage as soon as it was brought to his attention and that he estimated that no more than 50 litres had been spilled.