Small pesticide leaks 'carry big risks'

The recent death of hundreds of crayfish in the River Lark near Bury St Edmunds has been held up by the Environment Agency as an example of the risks posed by pesticides.

While 55 dead crayfish were found in the river, it is believed that many hundreds may have died along the full stretch affected by a pesticide leak.

The farm from where the leak originated was subsequently fined £2,500, as well as being asked to meet the Environment Agency's costs of £4,609.

Although defendant Rupert Brown of John Brown and Sons, Church Farm, Hawstead, claimed no pesticide spillages had been reported on the farm, it was found that sprayers were being filled close to a surface water drain.

This discharged into a tributary of the River Lark, which had been determined as the source of the Fenpropimorph leak responsible for the deaths of the crayfish.

Environment Agency officer Euan Simpson said following the hearing: "This case demonstrates the importance of locating pesticide handling areas in suitable locations, away from surface water drains or soakaway systems."

The agency states that contaminants in groundwater can be almost impossible to clean up, with around two-thirds of the UK's drinking water sourced from groundwater supplies.