A DROITWICH Spa firm has been fined £7,500 after it was found guilty of polluting a town canal and killing wildlife.

Baxenden Chemicals Ltd pleaded guilty to causing trade effluent to enter the Droitwich Canal from its plant in Union Lane, Droitwich.

The Lancashire-based company appeared before Worcester Magistrates' Court last Friday. It was fined £7,500 and ordered to pay £1,004 costs.

Environment Agency chiefs brought the charges.

Agency lawyer David Rees told the court that on November 2 and 3, 2000, a pollution incident occurred on the Droitwich Canal and a small tributary of the River Salwarpe.

Environment Agency officers were called out and the pollution was identified as a spillage of a chemical called Emcol K8300 which was traced to the Droitwich Baxenden plant.

The discharge happened when a faulty temperature control allowed the substance to overheat and escape through a loose manhole cover onto a canal yard, where it entered a public surface water sewer which discharges into the canal.

Officers at the scene reported seeing dead fish, foam on the canal bank and a four metre deep covering of foam on the stream at an overflow weir.

Defending lawyer Mr Wright said the company accepted liability for the incident.

He added that the firm had a good environmental record and had spent a considerable amount of money putting improved emergency plans in place. The company had also paid for remedial measures.

Environment protection officer Mark England spoke to the Advertiser after the case.

He said: "Companies who produce substances that could damage the environment or cause harm to human health have a duty to ensure these substances are adequately contained.

"In this case, the spillage caused distress and death to fish in the canal and spoiled the appearance of an important public amenity."

No-one at Baxenden was available for comment.