A Somerset farmer has been ordered to pay out over £11,000 for persistently polluting a watercourse with slurry.
Ben Hembrow, of Huntham Farm, Stoke St Gregory, pleaded guilty to polluting a watercourse, a tributary of Sedgemoor Old Rhyne, three times.
The case was heard at Taunton Magistrates Court on 6 October, when the 33-year-old was ordered to pay the Environment Agency costs of over £9,500, fines of £1,700 and a victim surcharge of £168.
A short distance downstream, the watercourse enters the West Sedgemoor Site of Special Scientific, the Somerset Levels and Moors Special Protection Area and RAMSAR site.
On 19 June 2019, following a report of low dissolved oxygen levels on the Sedgemoor Old Rhyne, Environment Agency officers found a tributary polluted with slurry.
They traced the pollution back to Huntham Farm, where a slurry lagoon had overtopped.
Slurry had run across a farm track, collected in the orchard, and made its way to the watercourse, polluting more than 1.5 kilometres.
A week later, although Mr Hembrow had taken action to try and prevent further pollution, slurry was still visible on the bed of the watercourse.
On 29 October 2019, officers again attended a report of pollution to the same tributary of the Sedgemoor Old Rhyne.
Investigations found a surface water drain discharging to the tributary, and using dye tracing confirmed the drain was contaminated with run off from from dirty yards.
On 30 January 2020 following reports of further pollution to the tributary, officers found it polluted due to slurry spreading activity on nearby fields. Slurry had been applied at a rate which caused run off in to the ditch.
And even further back, in 2016, Mr Hembrow was found guilty of polluting this same tributary of the Sedgemoor Old Rhyne.
Jo Masters, of the Environment Agency said: "It was disappointing to find continual pollution from Huntham Farm following a previous prosecution in 2016.
"We always strive to work with farmers to reduce the risk of pollution, protect the environment, and ensure they are compliant with the regulations.
"If you are concerned about pollution to water or land, contact our 24-hour incident line on 0800-807060."
