Company is fined £13,000 for leak

6:50pm Monday 10th March 2008

A company has been fined £13,000 for polluting the River Spen with latex.

The liquid leaked from a bund at National Floor Coverings Ltd, of Wellington Road, Heckmondwike, into the river and the company alerted the Environment Agency.

The agency observed discharge in the river, which was visible at least 100 metres downstream, and took photographs and liquid samples on 4 April 2007.

The company admitted the offence at Dewsbury Magistrates' Court yesterday and it will also pay court costs of £1,574.81 and a victim surcharge of £15.

The prosecution comes after the company had previously been fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £3,000 to the agency for committing out the same offence in 2005.

The company said since the latest incident, it has instigated new safety procedures and has sealed the bund.

Environment Agency spokesman Andy Mollitt said: "Although the company was the first to call us when this pollution incident happened, the fact remains that had they learnt lessons from the previous incident they would not have been in court today.

"We will not hesitate to prosecute businesses who cause pollution problems, where appropriate."

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