Farmer fined £8,700 for polluting 1.3km of Northamptonshire stream with farm waste

A farmer who repeatedly polluted a stream in a Northamptonshire stream has been fined over £8,700.
A farmer has been fined for allowing animal sewage to leak into a stream in Salcey Forest.A farmer has been fined for allowing animal sewage to leak into a stream in Salcey Forest.
A farmer has been fined for allowing animal sewage to leak into a stream in Salcey Forest.

Andrew Colinswood, 41, of Salcey Green Farm, Hanslope, allowed stinking farm waste to contaminate a tributary of the River Great Ouse in Salcey Forest, near Northampton.

Northampton Magistrates' Court heard this week how in April of last year, two lagoons on Mr Colinswood’s farm filled up with farmyard runoff, including raw cattle waste, before spilling over into connected drainage ditches which flowed into the stream.

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Numerous reports to the Environment Agency said the stream was grey, covered in scummy foam and reeked of sewage.

The waste left the stream grey and toxic with ammonia.The waste left the stream grey and toxic with ammonia.
The waste left the stream grey and toxic with ammonia.

Sampling by an Environment Agency officer found levels of ammonia 10 times higher than upstream – enough to be extremely toxic to fish, invertebrates and other aquatic life.

Two weeks later, the officers returned to find the effects of the pollution were still ongoing, and dense outbreaks of fungus and midge larvae indicated the contamination had been ongoing for an extended period of time.

The impact was so severe that the Forestry Commission erected signs warning the public to keep their dogs out of the water, and a wildlife ranger reported seeing no wildlife in the water since the pollution.

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The court heard how the farm lagoons had been constructed while Mr Colinswood was in charge of the site, and this process damaged existing site drainage. This damage meant once the lagoons reached a certain level, they’d spill effluent via land drains into drainage ditches and then the stream.

Park rangers found thick grey sludge forming on top of the water.Park rangers found thick grey sludge forming on top of the water.
Park rangers found thick grey sludge forming on top of the water.

Mr Colinswood, who has been farming since he was 15 and using this site for at least three years, admitted he was aware of this risk – but thought he could manage the runoff.

He also sought to blame a neighbouring farm for the pollution, though investigations had already proved his own farm as the source.

This was the third time in just over six months Mr Colinswood faced enforcement action for polluting the same stream with farm waste. Despite advice and a formal warning from the EA, his poor attempts to fix the situation didn’t stop it happening again.

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Jack Taylor, the investigating officer at the Environment Agency said: “It’s our job as a regulator to protect people, wildlife and our precious environment, and of course everyone has a responsibility to do their bit.

“This farmer was negligently and repeatedly putting a protected forest at risk. Not only are some of the trees here around 600 years old, but the forest provides rare and ancient habitat for a number of precious plants and insects. Despite this, he still ignored advice and a formal warning.

“We hope the outcome of this case serves as a warning to those who ignore their environmental responsibilities – we won’t hesitate to take action against them.”

Mr Colinswood pleaded guilty to breaching the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016 by allowing farm waste to discharge into a watercourse. He was ordered to pay a fine of £1,600, £7,000 in costs, and a £160 victim surcharge.

The Environment Agency urges anyone who suspects pollution should report it to the EA’s 24-hour hotline on 0800 80 70 60.