YORKSHIRE WATER has been fined a total of £30,000 and ordered to pay £5,513.18 costs for allowing sewage to escape on to a beach at an East Coast resort in the height of the visitor season.

The company pleaded guilty before Bridlington magistrates to three charges brought by the Environment Agency of causing pollution on the town's South Beach on August 2, August 28 and September 1, last year. It was fined £10,000 for each offence.

The court heard that alterations had been made during 2000 to the town's sewage collection structure in South Marine drive as part of a major new waste water treatment plant being constructed at Carnaby.

These resulted in the premature operation of the short sea outfall at the South Beach, and the overtopping of screens designed to retain solid debris during periods of heavy rainfall.

Yorkshire Water attended each of the three incidents to implement clean-ups, but bathing water tests by the agency indicated sewage contamination following the discharges.

When interviewed by the agency on September 19 Yorkshire Water admitted there had been serious design and operational problems caused by the alterations.

After the case, Sarah Hepburn, the agency's environment protection team leader, said: "The residents of Bridlington, together with holidaymakers who visit the town, can rest assured that the standard of sewage treatment and bathing waters has vastly improved since the summer of 2000.

"Yorkshire Water has spent approximately £1 million rectifying the problems, and the work was completed before the 2001 bathing season. The sampling of bathing water quality carried out by the Environment Agency during this bathing season has shown that the water is now of a higher standard than previously recorded."

Graham Dixon, Yorkshire Water's director of waste water, said: "As a direct result of our investment the East Coast has just had its best bathing water quality performance since records began.

"Last year's problems at Bridlington occurred soon after the works became operational. Since we rectified the problems the Bridlington waste water treatment works has been operating extremely well."

Updated: 10:06 Friday, November 23, 2001