East Midlands International Airport fined for Environmental Offences

Austin Stoton prosecuted East Midlands Airport Ltd who have been fined £892,500 and ordered to pay the prosecution costs at Derby Crown Court for three offences under the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016. The total financial penalty imposed was  £958,148.03.

The prosecution was brought by the Environment Agency after polluted runoff from aircraft and runway de-icing operations — containing glycol and potassium acetate — was found to have breached permit limits and caused significant contamination in the Diseworth Brook and the River Trent.

Between 14 January and 4 February 2022, East Midlands Airport committed a series of serious environmental permit breaches. On each of those dates, routine sampling revealed that Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) levels in runoff discharged from the airport far exceeded the legal thresholds. BOD is a key measure of organic pollution — high readings indicate that discharged water contains excessive contaminants that can severely deplete oxygen in rivers and streams, endangering aquatic ecosystems.

The consequences of these breaches were visible and significant. Environmental officers conducting site inspections found stretches of Diseworth Brook and the River Trent visibly polluted, with sewage fungus coating the stream bed and strong odours of decay. Ecological surveys confirmed a marked decline in biodiversity, with macroinvertebrate populations — an indicator of healthy water —reduced to pollution-tolerant species only. Pollution effects were traced up to 2.2 km downstream, demonstrating not just localised impact, but widespread environmental degradation.

Investigations uncovered multiple systemic failures within the airport’s environmental controls. Key equipment — including the BOD analysers responsible for diverting contaminated water to treatment ponds — was found to have malfunctioned or been improperly maintained. Engineering infrastructure was outdated, and critical components like pond liners and emergency pumps were either degraded, missing, or neglected entirely. The airports engineering management was systemically flawed. Despite earlier warnings and repeated incidents dating back to 2021, EMIA failed to implement sufficient remedial measures.

At sentence, the Court concluded that these breaches amounted to reckless conduct, underpinned by chronic mismanagement, inadequate monitoring systems, and a persistent failure to act on known risks. The Judge noted the history of non-compliance, describing a pattern of disregard for environmental protection obligations rather than an isolated lapse.

You can read more national media coverage here:

• ITV News: Coverage of the prosecution
• BBC: East Midlands Airport fined £900,000 for plane de-icer pollution – BBC News

This case reinforces the need for robust environmental compliance systems in critical infrastructure sectors.