As the country wrapped up against the snow and freezing conditions over the weekend of Garden Re-Leaf and Mother's Day, garden centres throughout the land were encouraged by an increase in buying activity in their stores.
Dobbies fined for polluting Cumbrian stream with sewage
Dobbies is considering appealing after it was given a record £75,000 fine for pumping poorly-treated sewage into a stream at a popular Cumbrian walking spot.
The company admitted four charges at Carlisle magistrates’ court. It was prosecuted by the Environment Agency after a member of the public complained about a foul smell in Sowerby Wood last year.
Jane Morgan, prosecuting, said: “On April 11, an Environment Agency officer responded to a complaint on April 10, that a water course in Sowerby Wood was polluted. The agency had previously received an anonymous complaint on April 2, but on that occasion there was a lack of information.”
The officer found that the water course, which came off an unnamed tributary of the River Caldew, was contaminated with a “white discharge” and “strong sewage odour” which stretched about 1km downstream.
Mrs Morgan told magistrates the presence of sewage fungus was evidence the problem had been ongoing for some time.
Officers investigated the source, and linked it to a pipe pumping secondary-treated sewage into the water from Dobbies.
The garden centre had been granted a permit to do this in 2010, ahead of its opening in 2011.
Dobbies was charged with four counts of failing to comply with the requirements of the permit. Each charge carried a maximum fine of £50,000.
The permit for the garden centre states that the outlet must be checked weekly. The city magistrates heard that staff were not even aware of this condition, much less carrying it out.
Defence barrister Ruth Stockley told magistrates that while the Environment Agency had spoken with a deputy store manager on April 11 and April 20, it was not until a formal letter was given to Dobbies on April 27 that head office became aware of the issue. Miss Stockley said immediate action was then taken to try to resolve the problem.
Taking into account the early guilty pleas, magistrates fined the company £15,000 for the first breach, £25,000 for the second, £10,000 for the third and £25,000 for failing to carry out weekly checks. It was also ordered to pay the Environment Agency’s costs of £3,976.08 and a £15 victim surcharge.
Speaking after the case, a Dobbies spokeswoman said: “We are taking this matter extremely seriously. Since we became aware that aspects of the sewage treatment plant were not operating as designed, we have been working closely with the Environment Agency and other bodies to rectify the situation. We have admitted liability; however, we are considering an appeal given the unprecedented level of fine.”
She added: “We have put rigorous new processes in place and have installed new equipment to minimise the risk of this happening again.”
