Construction company Taylor Wimpey has been fined £488,772 after failing to implement appropriate measures to prevent multiple pollution incidents, which impacted the River Llwyd and its tributaries in Pontypool in 2021.
An investigation found that multiple pollution offences caused by illegal water discharge activities had happened at Edlogan Wharf site along Bevan Road, Sebastopol, Pontypool, between January and October 2021.
Inspections carried out by officers from Natural Resources Wales (NRW) found that the pollutant on each occasion was caused by water run-off from the site, which had been contaminated with silt.
NRW officers met with representatives of Taylor Wimpey in February 2021 to discuss the necessary permit application requirements and mitigation measures necessary to minimise the risk of pollution.
A warning letter was served to the company on 23 February and 13 May. However, over the following months, there were a further six confirmed incidents and five unconfirmed incidents relating to pollution caused, or allegedly caused, by silty water discharging from the Edlogan Wharf development site.
Failure to prevent further polluting incidents
Water samples obtained by NRW during a follow-up visit on 29 October revealed a significant increase in the levels of suspended solids in the watercourse. This can have a negative impact on fish and invertebrates, clogging their gills and reducing light penetration in the water.
Silty water from construction sites can also contain chemicals, such as fuel and oil from machinery or generators, which can also harm the environment.
Taylor Wimpey was found guilty of a charge relating to breaches in Environmental Permitting Regulations at Cwmbran Magistrates Court on 3 May. In addition to the fine, it was ordered to pay a £181 surcharge and £8,591.40 in costs.
Environment officer for NRW, Susan Lenthall, said: “The construction industry has a duty of care to the communities in which they operate, to ensure the correct controls and safeguards are in place in order to prevent incidents such as these occurring.
“In this case, Taylor Wimpey was made fully aware by NRW officers of the requirements that were needed to install effective silt mitigation methods, that permits were required for discharging treated surface water to a watercourse and that any discharge of contaminated water was an offence under Environmental Permitting Regulations.
“I hope this fine will send out a clear message that environmental legislation is to be taken seriously. We will not hesitate to take appropriate action against those who disregard regulations and jeopardise the natural environment we all know and love.”
A Taylor Wimpey spokesperson issued the following statement in response to the court case:
“We accept [the 3 May’s] outcome and are pleased the judge recognised that Taylor Wimpey takes it responsibilities seriously including our full cooperation with Natural Resources Wales as well as our proactive attempts to manage this isolated issue.”
“Despite our diligent efforts to prevent and remedy surface water issues, including proactive steps based on specialist advice from environmental experts, Taylor Wimpey recognises that these efforts were not sufficient to mitigate the impact of heavy rainfall and adverse weather conditions impacting the site. Whilst there is no evidence of actual harm having been caused, Taylor Wimpey expresses genuine regret for the potential environmental problems this issue could have caused.”
