Water firm fined £240,000 over County Durham sewage discharges

Northumbrian Water admitted two breaches of law after manhole collapse led to sewer blockage

A water company has been fined 240,000 after a damaged manhole led to two unauthorised sewage discharges into a stream.

Untreated sewage leaked into Coundon Burn in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, on 13 March 2017. A member of the public rang Northumbrian Water after seeing effluent in the stream, and the firm - which had a turnover of 834.6m that year - sent workers to free a sewer blockage.