An environmental charity will receive a £135,000 funding boost under a river ‘pollution penalty’ imposed on two house-building companies.
The sanction has been announced by the Environment Agency (EA) following an investigation into repeated pollution of Pitty Beck, near Bradford.
Keepmoat Homes Ltd, a company that specialises in building residential housing and owns the site where the pollution occurred at Heron’s Reach near Bradford, will donate £100,000.
Applebridge Construction Ltd, which was contracted by Keepmoat Homes for the first phase of the development, will donate £35,000.
An investigation by the Environment Agency found that Pitty Beck was polluted a number of times between October 2016 and November 2018.
The money has been awarded to the Aire Rivers Trust, which will use it for the monitoring and prevention of pollution on Bradford Beck, a ‘pocket park’ proposal at Bradford Beck and restoring habitats in the catchment, including some wetlands at Pitty Beck.
The charity works to improve the River Aire for both wildlife and local communities.
Simon Watts, operations manager at the Aire Rivers Trust, said: “We’re pleased to see money from polluters being spent on restoring Bradford’s streams and river. We believe the work it will fund will create a lasting impact on the health of the Beck that runs through the heart of Bradford.”
Environment Agency area environment manager Ben Hocking said: “Housing construction companies – like all companies carrying out any major development work – have a responsibility to ensure their work does not impact on the environment and we will take action when pollution occurs.
“While we will always take forward prosecutions in appropriate cases, Enforcement Undertakings are an effective enforcement tool to allow companies to put things right and contribute to environmental improvements.
“They allow polluters to restore the harm caused to the environment and prevent repeat incidents by improving their training and procedures.”
Water minister Rebecca Pow said: “Companies that damage our natural environment must be held to account and enforcement action like this ensures polluters pay and help clean up our rivers and waterways.
“Our Plan for Water is delivering more investment, stronger regulation and tougher enforcement right across the water sector.”