Sepa 'disappointed' over £2,500 fine for loch sewage leaks

Published on Friday 14 May 2010 21:20

SCOTLAND'S determination to tackle environmental crime has been questioned yet again after Scottish Water was fined just £2,500 for a series of sewage leaks into a loch over six months.

The utility was fined for illegally discharging untreated sewage into Campbeltown Loch, Argyll, on a series of dates between January and June 2007. The level of the fine has been criticised by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa), the government watchdog.

Colin Bayes, director of environmental protection and improvement, said: "Sepa is surprised and disappointed at the low level of fine imposed considering the serious and prolonged failure to comply with the law."

Mr Bayes has previously described penalties handed out to polluters in Scotland as "derisory", and almost three times lower than in England.

"We are extremely keen to make sure that environmental crime is taken seriously," he added yesterday. And he highlighted that although sewage spills into Campbeltown Loch have now "significantly reduced", they are still occurring.

However, he said that "the necessary investment" was now being made by Scottish Water to tackle the problem.

The utility first pled guilty to charges of failing to comply with its licence in November 2008, but the case was repeatedly deferred. The sentence was finally given on Wednesday.

Overflows from Kinloch Park Pumping Station into Campbeltown Loch are only permitted during heavy rain or snow. However, between 1 January and 5 June, 2007, untreated sewage was discharged into the loch without this type of bad weather.

Sepa investigating officer Jim Frame said: "In 2007, the persistent failure by Scottish Water to comply with the licence issued by Sepa resulted in prolonged discharges of untreated sewage when none should have occurred.

"Those discharges impacted on the quality and amenity value of the loch and, understandably, were of great concern to residents and local businesses."

Scottish Water has been taken to court more than 15 times in the past five years for sewage spills, and fined more than 80,000. Regulatory board Waterwatch Scotland has previously criticised the organisation for failing to adequately address problems over sewage flooding in Campbeltown.

A Scottish Water spokesman said: "Scottish Water takes its environmental responsibilities very seriously. We have recently started the fifth and final phase of our improvements to Campbeltown's waste-water network.

"This will take Scottish Water's investment in all phases of the improvement work in Campbeltown to about 26 million.

"When this work is complete, it will substantially reduce the chances of such incidents recurring."