Mining firm pays £430k over river pollution

A china clay mining company in Cornwall has agreed to pay £430,000 to charity after pollution leached in to rivers.

The Environment Agency said Imerys Minerals paid the sum to the West Country Rivers Trust after it was responsible for six pollution incidents in the St Austell area between September 2021 and July 2023.

Officials said the company agreed to put in place "robust measures to reduce the likelihood of similar pollution incidents happening again".

Jack Hale from the Environment Agency said it gave Imerys an opportunity to "put things right in a way that directly benefits the environment" with the money to be used to restore water quality and improve fish migration.

The Environment Agency said in one incident an underground pipeline at the company's clay production plant near Goonamarris failed on 15 September 2021.

Clay was released on the surrounding land and also entered the Gwindra Stream, which flows into the River Fal.

It said Imerys estimated that an equivalent weight of clay lost was 87.8 dry tonnes.

Officials added that an investigation found that the pipe fracture was likely caused by damage from machinery and subsequent sampling suggested impacts were still present two months after the incident.

It said a second clay discharge took place at the stream in December 2022.

Other incidents included the failure of a buried pipeline joint causing a clay discharge into a stream, and a leaking joint at its Maclarens tank site caused clay to flow into the River Fal, the agency added.

The agency said the firm agreed to an "enforcement undertaking" which it said was an "alternative sanction to prosecution or monetary penalty for dealing with certain environmental offences".

It said the company would also cover the investigation and enforcement costs of £22,600.

A review of operational procedures, installation of new equipment and a commitment to a 10-year pipeline replacement strategy, was also agreed.

Follow BBC Cornwall on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@bbc.co.uk.