Wastewater treatment failings 'could not be tolerated'

Environment Agency of England and Wales chiefs have said that the wastewater treatment failings seen in Southampton two years ago "could no longer be tolerated".

Representative Bill Scott commented after seeing Southern Water fined £25,000 for allowing untreated sewage to enter the Itchen Estuary over a period of 26 hours back in 2009.

The area in question is an environmentally-sensitive body of water and is often used by aquatic sports enthusiasts.

Mr Scott said that storm overflows at the Woolston Sewage Treatment Works had been activated prematurely, allowing the waste to spill into the waterway.

He added that it was "disappointing" that the firm did not have emergency maintenance procedures in place in order to reduce the damage caused to the region.

"I hope this case sends out a clear message to Southern Water that any pollution must be avoided or stopped as soon as possible," he commented.

In a separate case last week, the Environment Agency revealed that the River Neath in Wales had been turned a bright orange colour thanks to leaked mining waste.

Posted by Lauren Steadman