Pollution incident costs brewer £172,000

The Environment Agency has accepted an offer of £160,000 for an enforcement undertaking from a major brewer following a pollution incident at a cider factory in Hereford, which saw several thousand fish killed.  The company also paid more than £12,000 to cover the Environment Agency’s legal costs.

The incident which occurred in August 2014, was caused when a container of ammonia-contaminated water was emptied to a surface water drain which connected to the Widemarsh Brook. At the time it was estimated that between 2,000 and 3,000 fish were killed including bullhead, minnows, juvenile chub and dace.