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A Lochaber salmon hatchery has been fined £1000 for polluting the river Rannoch near Lochaline. The Ardtornish hatchery, run by Scottish Seafarms Ltd, illegally discharged liquid waste into the river on 23 September 2002.
The company pled guilty at Fort William sheriff court on Thursday 25 September 2003 to the offence under the Control of Pollution Act 1974.
Alasdair Cameron, of SEPA’s Fort William office, said: “Scottish Seafarms could have prevented this incident by making a small investment in better treatment facilities, and by putting in place a proper maintenance programme. There have been previous incidents that resulted in warning letters and, finally, an enforcement notice from SEPA, which the company did comply with. However, following this latest incident, we prepared a report for the procurator fiscal.
“We understand that Scottish Seafarms are now taking action, but we’re disappointed that it has taken a pollution incident and a court case to achieve this. Some preventative steps would have protected the environment and saved the company considerable time and expense.”
ENDS
Notes
- The company pled guilty to the charge that it: '...did cause or knowingly permit trade effluent namely effluent arising from Ardtornish Fish Hatchery to be discharged into controlled waters...' contrary to the Control of Pollution Act 1974, Section 30 F(3).
Contact
Stewart Argo, public relations officer - 01224 248338, 07799 477972
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