Ilchester Estates Fined for Exceeding Water Usage Limits

Ilchester Estates went over their water limit. They took too much water from the Dorset Frome. This happened from December 2022 to July 2023. They used almost 7,500 cubic meters extra; that’s like three Olympic swimming pools!

The estate gets water from a spring near Evershot, using it for homes, offices, gardens, and farms. They have a license for this water use, with the Environment Agency setting a daily water limit.

The limit was 66.6 cubic meters each day. Ilchester Estates took more than that, and this also happened during a drought period from December to January.

The estate paid a big fine that included a penalty and extra costs, totaling over £28,000. The agency had warned them previously about over-using water.

The agency suggested increasing their water allowance in 2018, but the estate decided to reduce their water use instead. Yet, they kept taking more water than allowed each year through 2023.

Chalk streams are very special and fragile, so companies must follow water license rules and cannot simply take as much water as they want. Ilchester Estate ignored the rules during a drought, which probably harmed the river and its environment.

The Dorset Frome is a special chalk stream, with Wessex Water recognizing its importance. Only 200 chalk streams exist worldwide, and eighty-five percent of them are in the UK.