Scottish Water fined £17k for failures

That was the message this week from Scottish Environment Protection Agency chief executive, Terry A’Hearn, who commented on a recent prosecution led by the agency relating to water pollution in Cumbernauld.

Last week, Scottish Water was fined £17,000 for discharges from its Dunswood Sewage Treatment plant, North Lanarkshire, into the Red Burn in Cumbernauld.

The prosecution highlights the importance of maintaining critical water treatment infrastructure.

Scottish Water was fined £17,000 at Airdrie Sheriff Court for causing sewage to discharge to the Red Burn from Dunnswood Sewage Treatment Works, Cumbernauld in July 2014.

Between 13 and 14 July 2014 a failure occurred at the Dunnswood Sewage Treatment Works which resulted in the release of an estimated two million litres of untreated sewage into the Red Burn.

Scottish Water reported the discharge to the SEPA and environment protection officers launched an investigation into the cause.