Fine following more than 1000 deaths in pollution leak

Yesterday (March 11) Tiverton based Broadoak appeared in court and were fined £8,000 and ordered to pay £4,196 costs.

The detergent was being delivered to Broadoak Toiletries, but the driver did not hear a worker telling him he was pouring too much out.

As a result sodium lauryl ethoxy sulphate poured onto the ground and despite a clean up by the firm heavy rain carried the pollution into the nearby River Lowman on August 20 last year.

The next day the Environment Agency received reports of a ‘chemical smell’ in the river and dead or dying fish.

Officers at the scene found more than 1000 dead fish including salmon, trout, bullheads and minnows.

The sodium lauryl ethoxy sulphate in the detergent kills fish by damaging their gills and causes them to suffocate.

Luke Walsh