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Drop in serious pollution incidents leads to fewer prosecutions

6 November 2009

Statistics released by the Environment Agency today (Friday) show that the number of serious pollution incidents in the Thames Valley has dropped by nearly a quarter.

The figures reveal that the number of incidents in the Thames region fell 24 per cent – down from 95 in 2007 to 72 in 2008.

This has led to a reduction in prosecutions from 112 in 2007 to 78 in 2008 and, as a consequence, a drop in fines.

Successful prosecutions in the Thames Region during 2008/2009 include:

Thames Water was fined £125,000 and ordered to pay £21,335 in clean up and investigation costs in January 2009 after admitting polluting the River Wandle. The company allowed a large quantity of industrial strength chlorine to spill into the River Wandle from its Beddington Sewage Treatment Works near Mitcham, South London, in September 2007. This wiped out fish and other aquatic life that represented over 20 years of carefully managed river regeneration on the Wandle. Thames Water also pledged £500,000 over five years to support local environmental initiatives, including the Wandle Trust. It has also paid around £10,000 compensation to local angling clubs.

Patrick Anderson and James Kelleher were given sentences of 22 months and 14 months respectively in June 2008 after pleading guilty to a conspiracy to dumping nearly 15,000 tonnes of construction excavation material at 15 sites in Essex and London. Their waste operation turned over more than £1million and involved breaking into public and private property to dump the waste. Anderson was given the longest sentence ever given for an environmental offence, from the Inner London Crown Court. Kelleher, a first time offender, received 14 months from the same court, which the Court of Appeal refused to reduce when it was appealed as being excessive.

In October 2008 Harvey Gibson was jailed for 32 months after pleading guilty to offences relating to the burying of 85 tonnes of polluting waste in excavated holes in porous chalk ground near Reading, Berkshire, and to the burning of waste in a field near Amersham, Buckinghamshire. Twelve months of the 32 month sentence was for acting as a manager of a company whilst being barred by a court order from doing so, an offence under the Companies Act. Gibson had bought a reputable waste company and deliberately ran it illegally, to save the costs of responsible lawful disposal, polluting the environment in the process.

In 2007 a total of £783,230 in fines was paid out whilst this fell to £504,832 in 2008.

Angus Innes, Environment Agency Thames Region’s head of prosecutions, said: “There have been some very important results in 2008 in the fight against environmental crime, and we are pleased to see the courts sending the worst offenders to prison. It sends out a strong message that waste crime, which can seriously harm the environment, will not be tolerated. 

“Whilst the results in the lower courts disappoint from time to time, key decisions in the higher courts do reflect the serious nature of many of these crimes, particularly the modern scourge of organised waste crime.

“We hope other courts follow the lead given by these astute judges in the cases against Anderson, Kelleher, and Harvey Gibson in handing down strict sentences, which should deter others from carrying out the same offences.” 

 Thames region top ten fines for environmental offences – 2008

Regional breakdown of all prosecutions and fines for environmental offences – 2008

Editor's Notes

Interviews are available on request by calling the press office on 0118 953 5555. Total number of national serious pollution incidents 2008 - 723 2007 - 827 2001 - 1,854