SEVERN Trent Water has been ordered to pay almost £10,000 for polluting the River Trent.

It admitted causing sewage pollution to enter the river.

Stafford Magistrates Court was told Strongford Sewage Treatment Works, Barlaston, has an average of 150 million litres of water flow through it each day, with the final, treated water pumped into the Trent.

Amy Jacobs, for the Environment Agency (EA), said it treats sewage and trade effluent from across the area.

But on January 12, the EA noticed the effluent coming from the plant was brown and had a sulphurous smell.

The cause was a build of sludge, used in the treatment process, which had combined with heavy rain to cause treatment tanks to overflow.

But as water temperatures were low, there was limited impact on aquatic life.

The court heard it had been the only breach of conditions at the Strongford site and that Severn Trent took immediate action, stopping overflows on the afternoon of the incident.

The firm was fined £6,700 and ordered to pay £2,777 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

A Severn Trent spokesman said the utility "deeply regrets" the incident.

He said: "This incident followed an unfortunate and unusual series of events, where sludge deposits were dislodged during an operation to reduce ammonia levels in the effluent. "We have introduced processes to reduce the risk of pollution in future, and are spending £46 million upgrading the plant."