A water company was fined £330,000 after raw sewage escaped into a stream near Southampton for what the company admitted could have been nearly 20 hours.  An investigation by the Environment Agency found that relay equipment at a pumping station had been wrongly programmed. This led to a pump failing. When a second one would not start, sewage and other hazardous substances were diverted up through two manholes, across fields and into the stream.  The discharge resulted in a significant fish kill and the temporary closure of a water sports centre.

A West Yorkshire recycling company was fined £120,000 after an employee was severely injured when batteries weighing at least 300kg fell on him whilst carrying out a restacking operation. A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that the site was overstocked, bags of batteries had been stacked in an unsafe manner and there was no specific documented risk assessments or safe systems of work for the correct stacking and storage of batteries. This was not an isolated incident.

A Lancashire farming company has been fined £320,000 following the death of a worker who was knocked to the ground from a skip whilst assisting with the tipping food waste. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the company not fully assessed the risks involved in this daily task.  Had they done so, the dangers would have been identified. They had also failed to maintain equipment in safe working order and to properly instruct staff in safe working practices.