Firm fined over polluted brook
Thursday 26th February 2009, 3:00PM GMT.
An Oswestry company has been fined £7,000 after polluting a brook with ammonia.
Cold Move Ltd, based on the Glovers Meadow Industrial Estate in Maesbury Road, admitted a charge of causing poisonous, noxious or polluting matter, to enter controlled waters on or about November 12, 2007.
At Oswestry Magistrates Court yesterday the firm was fined £7,000 and ordered to pay costs of £3,324.31.
The court heard the contamination of Oswestry Brook, which flows into the River Morda, occurred from a hole in the pipework outside the Cold Move premises.
While no fish were killed following the contamination, the invertebrates they feed on were killed up to five-and-a-half kilometers downstream, the court heard.
Mr Neil Evans, prosecuting on behalf of the Environment Agency, said the company operates a temperature controlled storage and distribution facility and uses an ammonia based refrigeration system.
On November 12, 2007, the company reported there was ammonia pollution in the brook.
He said 24,000 litres of contaminated drainage water was cleared from the system and by November 15, there was no discharge at all.
Mr James Woodward, managing director of Cold Move, said they reported the incident and fully co-operated with the Environment Agency. He said they carried out temporary repair work to stop the leak and later replaced the pipework.
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