SOUTH West Water (SWW) has been fined £10,000 after its pumping station failed spilling raw sewage into Bolingey Stream which runs onto Perranporth beach.
The company pleaded guilty at Truro Magistrates' Court on May 10 to discharging raw sewage into the stream on June 26 last year and was fined £10,000 and told to pay costs of £1713.38.
South West Water apologised for the spill which it blamed on problems experienced at its Station Road Sewage Pumping Station, in Perranporth.
It said it was caused by a mechanical failure and blockage at Droskyn Pumping Station, in the resort in June 2012.
In a statement it added: "We notified the local authority and the Environment Agency of the discharge. However, while we attempted to tanker sewage from Station Road the following morning, we were unable to keep up with the volumes passing through the pumping station.
"In the last year we have invested more than £60,000 in a new pump for each pumping station and equipment at Droskyn which will enable us to lift the pumps without using a crane so we can deal with problems more quickly in future."
