Water abstraction: R v Leckford Estate Limited (19 October 1998) Magistrates' Court

United Kingdom

The Environment Agency brought two charges for offences under the Water Resources Act 1991 for over-abstraction of water against Leckford Estate Limited. Leckford Estate Limited holds a number of licences to abstract water from various underground sources around it's estate. The water is used for domestic, agricultural, industrial and fish rearing purposes. Under the Water Resources Act 1991 and the terms of the licence, Leckford Estate Limited is required to report the amount of water abstracted to the Environment Agency. Reports made for the year ending 1 October 1998 showed that it had exceeded the limit of the abstraction licences at two sites by 304,040 and 1,158,740 gallons. Leckford Estate Limited pleaded guilty to the charges and was fined £2,000 with costs of £510. Additionally, it was given a twelve month conditional discharge for the over-abstraction of the 1,158,740 gallons for a fish farm. (Environment Agency News Release, 20 October 1998)