East Midlands Airport has apologised after being fined almost £900,000 for environmental pollution.
The Environment Agency successfully prosecuted the airport for allowing discharges of drainage water containing aircraft and runway de-icing fluid into local waterways.
Derby Crown Court fined the airport £892,500 for three offences of breaching environmental permits for the airport site.
The airport was also ordered to pay costs of £65,687.54 at the hearing on Monday.
The court was told the offences took place between 14 January 2022 and 4 February 2022.
The airport’s permit requires it to meet specific quality standards for surface water drainage discharges, and the investigation found the airport breached its permitted Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) limit on three occasions, exceeding the 15 mg/l threshold set to protect water quality.
The court was told that the company has a ‘poor history’ of permit compliance.
The airport, which changed management in 2022, said it has actively engaged with the Environment Agency and has now outlined plans for £11m of improvements.
East Midlands Airport Managing Director Steve Griffiths said: “I’m sorry that in 2022 there were issues with the operation of our water drainage system, which led to breaches of our permit on three occasions.
“Since this period, we have been working with the Environment Agency and external industry experts to carry out remedial action. We have put in place £11m of improvements, including establishing a new water management team focused on inspecting, maintaining and operating the surface water management system daily.”
The Environment Agency’s East Midlands Area Senior Environment Officer Ian Firkins said: “We welcome this sentence, which should act as a deterrent to other companies who flout environmental legislation.”
