A SLAUGHTERHOUSE has been fined for releasing animal waste into the sewerage system.
Machin Yorkshire Lamb Ltd, of Brandsby, North Yorkshire, admitted twice breaking an agreement with Yorkshire Water in October, 2003, over the amount of solid waste it could discharge.
The company was fined £4,000 and ordered to pay £1,563 costs at Northallerton Magistrates' Court yesterday.
A solicitor for Yorkshire Water told the court that Machin Yorkshire Lamb had released the effluent, which had then made its way to Thirsk Treatment Works.
She said the high solid content of the waste increased the risk of blockages and unpleasant smells.
John Norris, representing Machin Yorkshire Lamb, said: "I would argue that the company has spent a lot of time and a lot of money to make sure this does not reoccur.
"I hope I have painted a picture of a responsible company, a company that works with Yorkshire Water and will not be here (in court) again.
"In life things do go wrong but thankfully there was no serious consequence to anybody."
Machin Yorkshire Lamb slaughters about 550,000 sheep every year.
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