A housing developer that blocked a pipe causing raw sewage to be pumped into a County Durham beck has been fined £300,000.
Taylor Wimpey polluted a tributary of Shotton Beck while building new homes at Eden Gardens in Sedgefield back in September 2019.
Construction debris had fallen through a manhole, blocking the sewer and causing it to burst - sending sewage spilling into the stream and onto the site.
At one point, the spill was thought to be liquid waste from a nearby abattoir.
The new manhole chambers had been both poorly built and not fenced off, leading to construction site traffic causing damage.
The major developer had already been advised about pollution prevention regarding debris in the sewage system after an earlier incident in June 2019.
Taylor Wimpey pleaded guilty in July 2023 and was fined £300,000 at Newcastle Crown Court on May 29.
The company was also ordered to pay costs and a victim surcharge amounting to £11,042.10.
This delay was due to a trial taking place on a separate charge linked to sewage discharge, which the company was acquitted of last month.
A Taylor Wimpey spokesperson said: “As a responsible developer, Taylor Wimpey is committed to sustainability and has a clear strategy in place to protect and enhance the environment.
"We will always take proactive action to manage potential environmental problems if they arise and we express our sincere regret for any environmental damage caused by this isolated incident.”
Sewage 'flooded onto construction site'
The court heard how Taylor Wimpey had applied to Northumbrian Water to construct some new sewers and divert an existing one, which included constructing several new manhole chambers.
By mid-2019 the diverted sewer was carrying sewage through the site despite none of the legal agreements with Northumbrian Water being finalised.
On June 4, 2019, Northumbrian Water attended the site because a bung - which is placed to close off a section of disused sewer - had been dislodged and become stuck down the line.
As a result, sewage effluent flooded out of a manhole cover and onto the construction site.
The company was advised by the Environment Agency (EA) and Northumbrian Water about pollution prevention and working practices, including the need to stop debris entering the sewer network.
However, on September 17, 2019, an EA officer carrying out a routine inspection near Sedgefield saw sewage fungus on the stream bed of Shotton Beck.
He investigated the nearby sewage treatment works but found no issues.
He then saw sewage upstream of the sewage works and the source was quickly identified as the nearby Taylor Wimpey housing development.
On arrival at the site, officers saw sewage in the stream, which was discharging from the sewer just outside the site boundary.
Photographs taken that afternoon showed the stream turning a red colour and sewage fungus strewn at least 1.5km downstream.
The discovery of sewage fungus to that extent meant that the sewer burst is highly likely to have happened days earlier.
During subsequent meetings and when initially responding during the Environment Agency’s investigation, Taylor Wimpey had denied responsibility for both incidents.
But once the case reached court, the company immediately pleaded guilty to the sewage discharge.
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Rachael Caldwell, area environment manager at the EA, said: “We expect companies to take their environmental responsibilities seriously and ensure they take steps to prevent pollution.
“This incident was preventable and caused real harm to the stream and the life it supports. Companies must stop pollution before it happens, and when they fail, we will act.
“We are determined to hold those who pollute our waterways to account and will not hesitate to take enforcement action.”
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