Getting the basics wrong, undermines confidence in innovative approaches such as catchment permitting. Too many record breaking fines seem to be occurring in January it was Thames Water.

Yorkshire Water was fined £1.1million last week for a pump failure in 2013 that caused pollution to flow into the River Ouse near York. The Environment Agency said it had prosecuted the company after its officers spotted a large volume of sewage effluent discharging into the Ouse, while surveying the river. This is the largest fine to have been handed out following prosecution by the Environment Agency. In January, Thames Water was fined £1million after poorly performing inlet screens failed to prevent a discharge of sludge into the Grand Union Canal. The Environment Agency said Yorkshire Water’s discharge was caused by a pump failure at its Naburn treatment works in Fulford. Water companies have a legal duty to ensure that their operations do not pose a threat to the environment. Mike Riby, team leader at the Environment Agency said three pumps are needed to cope with the volume of sewage. However, when one of the pumps failed, the backup was not operational, in breach of the firm’s environmental permit. To read more click here.