A LOCAL company has hit out at what it regards as "heavy handed" policing of pollution regulations by the Environment Agency. Last week, Anopol (South), based on the Bordon Trading Estate, was slapped with an Enforcement Notice by the environmental governing body, under the Pollution Prevention and Control Act 1999. The company which treats metal surfaces to improve appearance and corrosion resistance, was issued with the notice following reports from Thames Water Utilities Ltd. The reports noted that the Bordon sewage treatment works had been damaged by high levels of nickel entering the plant between January and February 2005. This in turn could have led to damage to the River Wey. "The Environment Agency and Thames Water Utilities Ltd launched a joint investigation into the high levels of nickel, and whilst it was impossible to pinpoint the source of the nickel, their efforts did lead them to visit the site of Anopol (South) Ltd. "An examination of company records during this visit revealed that Anopol had discharged levels of nickel to the sewer above those allowed through their permit," the report continued. Anopol has until July 31 to rectify the problem or face prosecution but the company believes that the situation has now been resolved. The firm was also keen to stress that it was only just over the permissible limit for nickel discharge, a company spokesman said: "During initial testing of the water treatment plant, a couple of hundred litres of water were discharged to the sewer, exceeding the limits stated in the permit. "To put this into context, the treated water contained 2.5 parts per million of nickel instead of the limit of two parts." The investigation by the Environment Agency also revealed that the company had contravened a number of other permit conditions relating to management of the processes, such as completion of improvement conditions and a detailed record keeping and notification of incidents. Anopol sited a recent move coupled with the recent changes in legislation as the cause of this lapse. "The cost of preparing documentation, fitting out the factory to comply with the newly introduced regulations, and paying the Environment Agency the large fee for the IPPC (Intergrated Pollution and Prevention Control) permit, has almost brought the company to its knees. "The costs involved in obtaining the permit alone were estimated to be £38,000 - a huge sum for a company that employs 20 people. "Anopol (South) was provided with a permit but expected to provide certain information such as sampling and monitoring procedures for sludge discharge by certain dates. "Moving factories and keeping people in jobs took priority and resulted in an Enforcement Notice without warning, mainly for exceeding the deadlines in submitting some written procedures." The spokesman added: "As with so much legislation today, the pollution prevention legislation was intended to trawl for the potentially large polluters. Sadly small companies like Anopol (South) have also been caught up in the net." The company must report on its compliance with improvement conditions and keep detailed records of waste transfers. It is also required to issue written instructions to ensure that the environment agency is notified of any further incidents or excessive discharge.
