Dairy farm fined over slurry pollution in Dorset watercourse

A Dorset dairy farm has pleaded guilty to causing pollution in a local river, leading to a significant environmental impact.

The incident occurred in April 2024 near the village of Leigh, between Dorchester and Yeovil.

Manor Farm Dairy appeared before Taunton Magistrates’ Court on 8 October, admitting to an offence of discharging poisonous, noxious or polluting matter into inland freshwaters.

The business was fined £6,000, reduced from £9,000 for an early guilty plea, and ordered to pay costs totalling £10,158.

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The Environment Agency (EA) was alerted in March 2024 by a member of the public who reported pollution near Bailey Ridge Lane.

On arrival, an officer observed olive-green discolouration of the watercourse, along with large amounts of foam on the stream’s surface, indicating contamination from slurry.

Tracing the pollution upstream, the officer linked the pollution to Manor Farm Dairy’s slurry lagoons in Hilfield.

Although the water immediately downstream appeared clear, evidence showed slurry had spilt forcefully into the watercourse, leaving a “tide line” approximately 4ft up both banks.

The precise volume of slurry released remains unknown, but investigations found evidence of slurry overflowing into adjacent roads and polluting the watercourse.

An invertebrate ecology survey confirmed the presence of organic pollution, causing severe damage to a 2km stretch of the watercourse and further adverse effects up to 4.5km downstream.

David Womack, an EA senior environment officer, said:

“This incident was avoidable. Regulations requiring farmers to be able to securely store a minimum of four months’ slurry production have been in place since 1991.”

He added that wetter weather and tuberculosis restrictions had increased slurry volumes, but urged farmers to seek advice if they lack sufficient storage.

Mr Womack also stressed the importance of prompt reporting: “If an incident does occur, we would urge those responsible to report it as soon as possible to the Environment Agency.”

Manor Farm Dairy was charged under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 for the unpermitted discharge of polluting matter from its site.