Water firm may take action in chicken plant case
YORKSHIRE WATER has confirmed that it may take further legal action against a chicken processing plant linked to a major water contamination incident in South Yorkshire.
The water company said it was considering civil action against Chesterfield Poultry after the firm pleaded guilty to five criminal charges on Thursday following an investigation into the discovery of E.coli in the water supply at Thorne, near Doncaster, in July last year.
A spokesman for Chesterfield Poultry said the guilty pleas under the Water Supply Regulations 1999 were not an admission the company was to blame for the contamination, which led to thousands of residents being warned not to drink their tap water.
But Yorkshire Water is now considering whether it can recoup costs incurred as a result of dealing with the contamination, which included payments to customers unable to use their water supply and the provision of bottled water.
A spokesman said: “We are currently considering whether to take civil action following this criminal conviction. We don’t have a definite decision on it yet, but it is certainly an option we are looking closely at.”
In a statement issued yesterday, Chesterfield Poultry said: “The company was disappointed when it came to their attention that some of the water fittings at its plant did not comply with the 1999 Regulations, however, Yorkshire Water have never alleged that Chesterfield Poultry caused the contamination incident.
“Furthermore, it was accepted at Court that the contraventions alleged did not give rise to contamination. We take very seriously our obligations under the Regulations and as soon as Yorkshire Water raised these matters with us we immediately took steps to rectify the position.”
In response, a Yorkshire Water spokesman said: “The prosecution was brought under the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 for water fittings that were likely to cause contamination. Yorkshire Water was not required to prove the actual contamination of its water supply to achieve a successful prosecution.”