Food firm off the hook as pollution trial collapses

“Our case could have been better prepared” admit Thames Water

A GOURMET food firm is off the hook after a prosecution over pollution turned into a fiasco.

The English Provender Company at New Greenham Park, Greenham, was facing charges of discharging trade effluent into public sewers.

The company has twice been convicted of similar offences, but denied the current charges.

However the latest Thames Water prosecution descended into a day-long farce with vital evidence not produced and documents going missing.

A previous hearing in June had to be adjourned for the same reasons and the case was adjourned to Reading Magistrates’ Court on Friday, October 16.

After almost the whole day was wasted while the utility company searched again for the papers, District Judge Andrew Vickers announced he would not allow the hearing to be heard in part.

Wendy Hewitt, for Thames Water, then announced that she was not going to offer any evidence and the charges were dismissed.

The English Provender Company was formally acquitted of two charges – one of discharging trade effluent that contained illegal amounts of settleable solids and other material into the public sewer on March 21 last year and a second, similar charge relating to oil and grease in April 2014.

In 2005 the company was fined £2,000 for discharging so much food waste into a sewerage plant that it polluted the River Enborne.

Then in 2006, it was fined nearly £9,000 for discharging waste into a sewer a second time.

Following Friday’s hearing, a spokeswoman for Thames Water, Becky Trotman, conceded: “Our case could have been better prepared.”

However, she said there had since been positive discussions with The English Provender Company, whose operations director, Andy Riches, said: “We want to work together with Thames Water to ensure our systems have integrity and meet the relevant legislation.”

He stressed that the company had been acquitted of the recent charges and that the prior convictions were “a long time ago, and not connected”.

A spokeswoman for the Environment Agency, Auria Dee, said that dropping the case was a matter for Thames Water and added: “The Environment Agency issues permits for Thames Water to discharge into the environment from its sewage treatment works.

“Commercial organisations that discharge into public sewers require a permit from Thames Water. Public sewers drain into Thames Water treatment works before then discharging to the environment.

“Unless Thames Water fails to meet the conditions of its permit, there is no risk to the public or the environment.