A farming company has been slapped with a hefty fine after polluting two rivers. Velcourt Ltd manages Manor Farm, near Frome, and must pay a total penalty of £34,000 for contaminating the watercourse.
Dozens of fish died because surface water run-off from agricultural fields was not properly managed. A case was brought by the Environment Agency and Velcourt pleaded guilty at North Somerset Magistrates Court on Monday (April 4).
In August 2018, the agency received reports of dead fish in the Hardington and Buckland Brooks, which are tributaries of the River Frome. Officers attended and found brown trout and bullhead among the species poisoned by dirty water in the streams, reports Somerset Live.
