ANGLIAN Water has been hit with a �36,000 fine for contaminating 3km of river in Thaxted, Essex.
More than 400 fish died after sewage and trade effluent overflowed from a sewer and ran into a stream which feeds into the River Chelmer.
The company pleaded guilty to causing the pollution at a hearing at Chelmsford Magistrates Court yesterday.
The incident happened in June when a member of the public reported pollution and dead fish in the water. Environment Agency (EA) staff investigated and found sewage solids and rags discharging into the stream from an outlet in Park Street, Thaxted.
A total of 421 fish were killed, including lamprey, bullhead, minnow, stickleback and stone loach.
EA officer Silvia Moros Perez said: “This site was poorly managed and this pollution and these fish deaths could have been avoided if appropriate preventative measures had been in place for this section of sewer.”
Anglian Water was fined �36,000 and ordered to pay full costs of �5,973.
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