Clarehill Plastics Limited

News

Failure To Bund Costs Potential Birmingham Polluter £5,015

10th August 2010

Arshad Mehmood of Hazelmere Road, Hall Green,Birmingham was fined £2,500 after pleading guilty last week to one charge relating to treating, keeping or disposing of controlled waste (waste oils) in a manner likely to cause pollution of the environment.

He was ordered to pay costs of £5,000 and a £15 victim surcharge.

For the Environment Agency,Counsel Nicholas Cole told Birmingham Crown Court that, in 2007, a project by the Environment Agency and its partners was underway to try and improve the water quality in Washwood Heath Brook.

In March 2007, following a report of pollution where surface water flowed into the brook, a contractor working for Severn Trent Water Ltd found a white greasy substance flowing through a manhole. The surface water drains were traced back to Britannia Oils at 61 Cherrywood Road.

Information about the incident was passed to the Environment Agency. In September 2007, two Environment Officers visited the premises, where they found a bio-diesel installation operating without a permit. The installation converted waste cooking oils from restaurants into biodiesel which could then be sold to drivers.

They found that the premises did not have the infrastructure required to adequately prevent pollution. In particular there was an open drain inside the building which was connected to the surface water drainage system which ultimately flows into Washwood Heath Brook.

The drain should have had a bund or barrier round it to prevent any oil spillages entering the drainage system and then into the Brook. Instead a loose metal tray had been placed over the drain. The Officers advised the site operators on what they needed to do to comply with the law and about the need to avoid pollution of the nearby watercourse .

In June 2008 again visited the site after reports of an oily discharge into the Brook. The precautions were still not in place and the drain inside remained unprotected.

Later, while visiting a site nearby, officers saw Britannia Oils take delivery of a liquid on their forecourt. They noted that there was no infrastructure to prevent pollution running off the site and into surface water drains in the road.

Speaking after the case, an Environment Agency officer involved in the investigation, said: "There were a number of pollution incidents going on at a time when we and our partners were trying hard to improve Washwood Heath Brook for the local community.

"The defendant did not act on our advice and guidance to protect the drainage systems or provide us with the information we asked for. We cannot allow this sort of irresponsible behaviour to continue and we hope that the outcome of today's court case will act as a deterrent to others."

In mitigation,Counsel Mr Tim Pole said that his client regretted the incident and had since sold on the business. He had made no money out of the business that he had been operating at the time but was prepared to accept that he had not taken proper measures as required by the Environment Agency.

The charge was brought by the Environment Agency under Section 33 (1) ( c) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.