MORE than £1m is set to be paid by a water company for historic environmental offences.

The Environment Agency has agreed a combined total of £1,179,500 will be paid for historic environmental offences committed by Northumbrian Water across four North-East sites.

The financial contributions are planned to go towards green projects in and around the area where the offences happened.

Five separate enforcement undertakings (EU) have been agreed with Northumbrian Water after the company accepted responsibility for environmental offences in West Cornforth, Crook Beck, Chilton, and Marske-by-the-Sea.

The acceptance of an EU offer is an alternative to prosecution, in cases where the environmental impact was in a specific area, and where the Environment Agency is satisfied that the offending by Northumbrian Water was not intentional.

Northumbrian Water will contribute the total sum of £209,500 towards the Tees Rivers Trust, the Marine Conservation Society, Tees Valley Wildlife Trust and Industry Nature Conservation Association.

Fiona Morris, of the environment agency in the North East, said: “We feel enforcement undertakings are a more balanced response to dealing with these environmental offences.

"The outcome is beneficial to the environment relevant to where the offence took place. It will also help to change the behaviour of the company and focus on their activities.

"This approach achieves more than if the company in question had been convicted and fined.

“In these cases Northumbrian Water have taken action to rectify the situation and the environment will now benefit from some great work by local charities.

“We work hard to protect people and the environment, and a clear regulatory framework with agreed standards and targets has helped to drive major environmental improvements throughout the region.”