Redditch firm pays £1m after incident killed 1,000 fish

An aeronautical company has made a financial contribution of more than £1m following a pollution incident that left about 1,000 fish dead, the Environment Agency (EA) has said.

The incident happened in 2018 at Mettis Aerospace’s metals installation site in Redditch, following an issue with discharge from the surface water drainage system.

The problem resulted in a solution of caustic and sodium aluminate leaking into an unprotected surface water drain and into an adjacent watercourse, an EA spokesperson said.

Jeremy Cieslik, chief executive at Mettis Aerospace (MA) said: “We take our responsibility to the environment and our local community seriously.”

Cieslik said following the incident eight years ago it “took immediate action and implemented robust measures in the areas concerned, including infrastructure improvements and enhanced management systems, to ensure long-term environmental protection”.

“The significant voluntary financial contributions we have made, including donations to local environmental projects, reflect our deep commitment to maintaining the highest standards of environmental stewardship and continuing to support the resilience of our local ecosystems,” he said.

As an alternative to prosecution for the offence, MA offered an enforcement undertaking (EU), including spending some £504,240 on site infrastructure improvements.

The EU is a voluntary offer made by companies and individuals to make amends for offences committed.

The EU includes the following:

• Donations to environmental enhancement projects in Redditch and the Black Country totalling £379,500
• Initial pollution clean-up costs of £111,268
• Payment of the EAs initial investigation costs of £9,324
• Site infrastructure improvements, training and management systems development and certification costs of £504,240
• Loss of amenity compensation payments to local charities £7,000
• Payment of EAs costs for assessing compliance with the EU £13,026

The EA spokesperson said: “Protecting the environment and taking action against those that damage or threaten this is our utmost priority.

“While we will always prosecute in the most serious cases, Enforcement Undertakings are an effective enforcement tool to allow companies to put things right and contribute to environmental improvements.

“They enable businesses to become more compliant and prevent repeat offending by improving their procedures, helping ensure future compliance with environmental requirements.”