Farmer fined for river pollution (From Mid Devon Star)

Farmer fined for river pollution

2:10pm Friday 3rd July 2009

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A COURT has heard how a Mid Devon farmer polluted a tributary of the River Dart with about 8,000 gallons of slurry, which overflowed from a reception pit on his farm.

The case was brought by the Environment Agency.

Exeter magistrates heard how Andrew Chave had been pumping slurry – a mixture of manure, urine and water – from one tank to another at Northcote Farm near Tiverton when he was called away to help with a difficult calving. He later forgot to shut off the pump.

As a result, the slurry overflowed and made its way to a tributary of the River Dart, which runs across the bottom of Northcote Farm in Cruwys Morchard.

Mr Chave realised what had hap pened the following morning and con tacted the Environment Agency.

After visiting the site and taking samples, environment officers from the Environment Agency discovered the slurry had polluted a stretch of the River Dart and had led to the deaths of about 75 fish.

A further 21 fish were seen to be in distress and were quickly transferred to a nearby clean tributary.

Environment Agency officers spent several hours pumping the slurry out of the river and onto adjacent land.

Michael Ingman, the environment officer at the Environment Agency who led the investigation, said: “Mr Chave didn’t have a system in place to prevent or warn of slurry escaping from his farm and polluting the river.

An alarm system has since been installed.

“This is a timely reminder to farmers in Devon and across the South-West to take the storage of slurry seriously and to check and maintain their slurry storage facilities regularly.”

Mr Chave was fined £2,000 and ordered to pay £2,133.68 in costs.

AFTER the case, Mr Chave’s solicitor Neil Scott said: “Mr Chave pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and expresses his sorrow for what was a momentary lapse on his part.

“He forgot to turn off a pump having worked late into the night on a difficult calving. Immediately he realised, he did the right thing and contacted the Environment Agency, which enabled them to act to minimise any damage.

“He has since taken steps to prevent an accident happening again by increasing the number of staff working for him and installing a float alarm system to warn should slurry levels rise to a point which could cause risk in the future.

Mr Scott said that Mr Chave was a lifelong farmer and the environment in which he worked and lived was “very dear to him.”

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