Somerset farm ordered to pay out £20,000 after polluting stream

A Somerset farm which polluted a stream after failing to make improvements has been ordered to pay out nearly £20,000.

The incident happened after a farm inspection by the Environment Agency recommended improvements should be made to prevent possible pollution.

In the case brought by the agency, the court heard that officers were called to Small Brook in February 2022 after receiving a report of sewage fungus in the watercourse.

Field tests and samples confirmed a significant drop in water quality, with officers tracing the source of the pollution to a leaking silage clamp on farmer Neil Baker’s land at Rushywood Farm, near Crewkerne.