Denbighshire man fined over £4,000 for slurry pollution incident

A man from Denbigh has been made to pay over £4,000 in fines and costs for a slurry incident which polluted the Afon Concwest in Denbighshire.

On Tuesday 18 October 2022 at Mold Magistrates Court, Mr Glynne Jones, aged 68 of Hafodty Ddu in Denbigh, pleaded guilty under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 Act to causing a water discharge activity, namely the discharge of poisonous, noxious or polluting matter to an inland freshwater.

Mr Jones was fined £1,600 and ordered to pay costs amounting to £2,950 to be paid in 28 days.

This followed an investigation by NRW Officers in December 2020 that found insufficient slurry management had caused an overspill into the watercourse and impacted on private water supply.

Anthony Randles, NRW Environment Team Leader for North East Wales, said:

“The soil and slurry discovered in the runoff from Mr Jones’ Hafodty Ddu property and entering the Afon Concwest in December 2020 could have had a devastating impact on the watercourse and its biodiversity.

“Slurry is high in ammonia which is toxic to aquatic life and can cause fish kills, whilst also containing microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi, that can cause diseases to animals in the water.

“This incident at Mr Jones’ Hafodty Ddu property was avoidable and should never have happened. It shows the importance of regular and proper maintenance of slurry stores.”

To report a pollution incident call NRW’s 24-hour incident hotline on 0300 065 3000 or visit NRW's Report an Incident page.