Image description: A river with boats moored. Photo by Victoria Feliniak on Unsplash

The Environment Agency (EA) has awarded £430,000 payout to the West Country Rivers Trust, following six clay pollution incidents in Cornwall by Imerys Minerals Limited.

The EA confirmed the payment after its investigation found multiple failures at Imerys operations, including damaged pipelines, leaking joints and equipment faults that led to discharges into local waterways. These affected streams and rivers across the St Austell area between 2021 and 2023.

What will the £430,000 go toward?

The agreement, known as an enforcement undertaking, allows companies to fund environmental improvements as an alternative to prosecution where the Agency has reasonable grounds to believe an offence has occurred. This type of sanction can be used as an alternative to a prosecution.

The West Country Rivers Trust will use the £430,000 to improve water quality, fish passage and community involvement in monitoring river health. Stephanie Knights, the trust’s head of river restoration, said the River Fal catchment faces significant pressure from a legacy of mining and quarrying and that the funding will support habitat improvements, research partnerships and citizen science work.

What failures did Imerys Minerals Limited admit to?

The six pollution incidents took place across Cornwall, in the St Austell area, between September 2021 and July 2023. According to reports, one of the most serious pollution events occurred in September 2021 when an underground pipeline failed at Imerys’ Goonamarris clay plant, sending clay slurry across land and into the Gwindra Stream, which subsequently flows to the River Fal. Imerys estimated around 87.8 dry tonnes of clay were lost, with environmental effects still visible two months later.

Other incidents included:

• A second discharge into the Gwindra Stream in December 2022.
• A pipeline joint failure causing clay to enter a nearby stream.
• A leaking joint at the company’s Maclarens tank site, allowing clay to reach the River Fal. 

Other enforcement measures

In agreeing to the sanction, the EA says Imerys has put in place robust measures to reduce the likelihood of similar pollution incident happening again.

This includes a review of operational procedures, installation of new equipment and a commitment to a 10-year pipeline replacement strategy.

The company will also cover the Environment Agency’s investigation and enforcement costs of £22,600.