POLLUTING watercourses running through a nature reserve and conservation area has cost a North Yorkshire company nearly £20,000.

The pollution was caused when liquid waste sludge was spread on land at Camblesforth and Aughton Common, near Bubwith, Selby magistrates heard.

Waste disposal contractor E Harper (York) Ltd, based at Sutton-on-the-Forest, admitted two offences under the Water Resources Act 1991.

It was fined £16,000, with costs of £3,548.

The court heard that liquid sludge, mixed with food processing, abattoir and brewing wastes, had been spread on fields in the Lower Derwent Valley, a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The Environment Agency was informed by one of the company's employees in August 2001 that liquid waste had entered field drains at Aughton Common, which pass through the SSSI.

An investigation revealed that material entering the drains was similar to that which had been spread on nearby fields.

A similar incident happened at Camblesforth the following November, involving liquid waste spread by the same company.

The agency was not contacted until the day after the firm was aware that waste had got into the field drains, which flowed through a nature reserve and picnic area.

In both cases the company admitted it had failed to carry out tests to establish if the soil on the fields was suitable to receive the liquid waste or whether it would have any agricultural benefit.

After the case, the agency's management team leader, Neil Smith, said: "Spreading of certain liquid waste is exempt from waste management laws, provided that it meets strict criteria and does not cause damage to the environment.

"In both these incidents, the company blatantly ignored those rules by not examining the land correctly before it went about its spreading work."

The company's managing director, Nicholas Harper, said today that they had to take the fine "on the chin" and promised it would not happen again.

He said: "It wasn't a case of backing up into a corner of a field and dumping waste. It was a mishap during a perfectly legitimate activity."

He said the foot and mouth crisis and bad weather had contributed to the mishaps.

Mr Harper added: "We were under a lot of pressure, but we accept our supervision was inadequate at that time."

Updated: 10:52 Saturday, April 26, 2003