The Environment Agency is calling for bigger fines for polluters

The Environment Agency singled out seven companies, including Thames Water, who have "failed to learn from previous convictions".

The company was fined on seven separate occasions over the past year, including an incident at Didcot sewage works where a cracked pipe and unsupervised tank led to chemicals getting into a ditch.

Thames Water say the report does not take into account the fact that they are one of the major sewage treatment companies in the UK.

The fines put Thames Water third in the Environment Agency's list of repeat offenders, behind United Utilities, who were fined �327,500, and Anglian Water Services (�285,000).

With irreparable environmental damage or serious risk to public health, penalties often fail even to match up to costs avoided Barbara Young Environment Agency chief executive

A spokesman for Thames Water said they regretted each of the incidents and said they had made improvements.

"The report includes no reflection of the huge area we cover - our sewer network is the largest in the country, spanning over 40,000 miles," he said.

"Although we strive to ensure accidents like this do not happen, there is unfortunately more potential for them to occur."

In 2001 the company was fined �57,600, down from �288,000 in 2000.

Tougher sentences

The Environment Agency is calling for tougher sentences and bigger fines for repeat offenders, saying the fines are not large enough deal with pollution by large multi-national companies.

Barbara Young, chief executive of the Environment Agency, said: "Courts are getting tougher on environmental offenders - but fines are still small change for big business.

"The Environment Agency is leading the world in developing new and inventive ways to help encourage environmental-sound behaviour by big business.

"With irreparable environmental damage or serious risk to public health, penalties often fail even to match up to costs avoided. This is unacceptable."

In 2001 the company was fined �57,600, down from �288,000 in 2000.

The agency said management lapses are often to blame.