Scottish Water fined for dumping chemical waste

SCOTTISH WATER has been fined for discharging chemicals into a burn where hundreds of dead fish were found.

Scottish Water say a faulty valve, which they have since fixed, caused the discharge of chemicals into a nearby burn. Picture: TSPL

Members of the public reported seeing the dead fish at the Alva Burn in Clackmannanshire at the end of August last year.

An investigation by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) found that chlorinated water had flowed into the burn from the Alva Service Reservoir after a valve failed.

Officers said Scottish Water failed to neutralise the discharge until they intervened.

The company was fined £6,500 at Alloa Sheriff Court today after pleading guilty to breaching water environment regulations.

Patrick Hughes, procurator fiscal for wildlife and the environment, said: “This incident was brought to the attention of Sepa by members of the public, at which point the environmental damage was already done.

“It was entirely avoidable. Scottish Water failed to implement appropriate notification systems, take cognisance of the environmental impact or follow their own guidance and have appropriate systems in place to mitigate the pollution.

“That failure, the resultant damage to the environment and the impact on the local community is unacceptable.”

A Scottish Water spokesman said: “Scottish Water takes its environmental responsibilities very seriously.

“We have repaired a faulty valve at the reservoir to reduce the risk of this happening again.”