United Utilities Waste Management Breaches

United Utilities has recently been fined £6,500 and ordered to pay £1,352 costs, following illegal disposal of waste at a North West Water treatment works. Asbestos pipes, concrete, wood, brick and other waste materials were buried at the site and the Environment Agency found ash and partially burnt waste, as well as evidence that a large amount of sand from an on-site filtering process had been spread across the site.

The significance of this case is that the site's process controller said that the pipes had been buried and a small amount of waste burnt as part of a general tidying of the site, and that he was unaware that it was illegal to bury or burn waste on his own site. Furthermore he said that it was North West Water's practice to spread sand waste from the filtration process across the site about once a year and again, he was unaware that such an activity would require a licence. The company was criticised for its lack of awareness of legislation and poor staff training.
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