River diesel pollution costs firm more than £4m

A long-running river pollution incident, which damaged a nature reserve and was condemned by celebrities, has cost a firm more than £4m in improvements and sanctions.

Diesel leaked into the River Test from Watson Fuels' site in Nursling, near Southampton, in 2021.

At the time, comedian Paul Whitehouse and singer Feargal Sharkey voiced concerns, while Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust said the ongoing pollution was causing "long-lasting damage".

The Environment Agency said it had agreed not to prosecute the firm, which paid £3.8m to upgrade its infrastructure and a £350,000 sanction.

In July 2021, the wildlife trust said Lower Test Nature Reserve had been experiencing "extremely high levels of fuel oil pollution" over a period of time.

It said it had found birds "covered in fuel oil", a dead cygnet and dead fish.

The trust said it had tried for "the past few months" to press authorities to identify the source and start a clean-up operation.

Whitehouse previously told the BBC it was "unbelievable" that the pollution was not immediately stopped by the authorities.

In a statement, the Environment Agency said the problem was caused by a failed underground valve that leaked into soil at Watson Fuels, otherwise known as WFL UK.

It said: "The issue was not immediately identified, as stock losses remained below the threshold for a full investigation.

"Although remedial action was taken once the leak was confirmed, heavy rainfall later caused the diesel to enter the river, resulting in harm to wildlife."

The agency said WFL had agreed to pay £350,000 to Wessex Rivers Trust for environmental improvements.

Additionally, it will cover the Environment Agency's costs of £87,869.95.

It said the sanction, known as an enforcement undertaking, avoided the cost of legal proceedings.

WFL has also spent £3.8m on measures to prevent future incidents, including a rebuild of the Nursling site, the agency added.

Agency spokesperson Dawn Theaker said: "This pollution incident was preventable and should not have happened.

"The funds will enable habitat improvement in the local area, benefiting the environment and communities in Southampton."

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