Northamptonshire waste firm pays out to charity after contaminating groundwater

A firm which handles hazardous waste has paid £25,000 to an environmental charity after the contamination of groundwater at its site in East Northants.

Routine inspections in March 2020 detected high levels of chemicals in the groundwater adjacent to the treatment centre at East Northants Resource Management Facility in Kings Cliffe. The site is operated by Augean South Limited.

After performing further tests, Augean notified the Environment Agency. Officers concluded Augean had negligently exceeded its environmental permits. The waste facility accepted responsibility for releasing contaminated liquid into groundwater.

The discharge in 2020 had a short-term impact on wildlife and saw some amphibian species decline but populations recovered by the following summer. Vegetation also naturally improved after the pollution.

The Environment Agency accepted an enforcement undertaking submitted by Augean. Enforcement undertakings are one of the civil sanctions available to the Environment Agency, enabling the wrongdoer to put right the situation and compensate for any environmental harm.

As part of this agreement, Augean donated £25,000 to the Rockingham Forest Trust which promotes environmental projects in Northamptonshire.

The firm also paid £11,058.90 to cover the costs of the Environment Agency investigation.

An Environment Agency spokesman said: “It is believed that heavy rainfall during the winter and subsequent storms contributed to the chemical discharge.

“The Environment Agency was satisfied Augean took appropriate action to resolve the situation. The company had acted in a timely manner to remove and clean the affected land, whilst continuing to monitor the groundwater and soil.”