TOWER FINED Pounds 3,000

Wales’ last deep mine, which has become a modern-day legend, has been slapped with a pounds 3,000 fine for river pollution. Tower Colliery, at Hirwaun, Aberdare, has pleaded guilty to causing pollution after too much coal deposits were washed from their land into the Nant-y-Cnapiau and River Cynon watercourses during heavy rainfall.

Fortunately, no fish were lost as a result of the discharge.

But as well as the pounds 3,000 fine, the company was ordered to pay the pounds 1,385 costs of Environment Agency Wales, which brought the prosecution.

Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates’ Court heard that Tower was prosecuted under Section 85(6) of the Water Resources Act 1991, for exceeding the consent limit for suspended solids, following a discharge of surface water drainage from its settlement lagoons, known as The Old Ponds.

After the hearing the Environment Agency said it was in discussion with the company and its consultants to address the issue of site drainage.

Substantial improvement measures had been proposed and it was expected that the majority of the works would be implemented before the end of September.

Agency environment officer Jeff Edwards said: ‘The agency will continue to closely monitor the site to ensure that all reasonable steps are being taken in order to minimise any impact from discharges off the site.’

Tower director Tony Shott said: ‘I am extremely disappointed that half way through discussions and consultation to try to cure the problem the Agency saw fit to prosecute, understanding that we couldn’t meet the discharge consent.

‘The consent levels we have for discharges off the Environment Agency are OK for 11 and a half months of the year, but in storm conditions we physically can’t meet them.’

He added it happened on rare occasions.