The Church of Scientology's Religious Education College-subsidiary has been fined £14,000 after repeatedly polluting a River Medway-linked stream with raw sewage. The Church of Scientology Religious Education College in East Grinstead was found to have breached environmental regulations after local people complained of pollution in a tributary of the River Medway. The church pleaded guilty to one offence and asked for ten others to be taken into consideration at Worthing Magistrates' Court on Friday (April 27) as well as the £14,000 fine and being ordered to pay costs totalling £2,566. The college was fined £14,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2,566 at Worthing Magistrates Court. The court heard that in August 2015, the church was replacing their old sewage treatment plant, with the new facility built to treat a higher volume of sewage. The plant was completed and operating correctly when the Environment Agency inspected it in September 2015. An initial inspection by the Environment Agency in September found the new plant was working properly, but by October 2015 residents in the Saint Hill area raised concerns about pollution. But in October the Environment Agency was notified of a pollution in the Saint Hill area and the investigating officer followed the pollution upstream to find that the newly installed treatment plant was the source. Inspectors found the new plant was pumping out waste water containing volumes of sewage 10 times over the permitted limit. The stream was visibly impacted by sewage, with sewage fungus - a grey, slimy bacterial and fungal growth associated with sewage and sewage polluted water - covering the stream bed. The stream bed became coated with grey sewage fungus and dead invertebrates were found more than 350 metres downstream after the college replaced its sewage treatment plant in August 2015. Further inspections and sampling found that the treatment plant continued to pollute. The Environment Agency took samples on 19 occasions of which 10 failed water quality standards, it said in a statement. As part of the investigation the Environment Agency filed a notice requiring information about the design and installation of the sewage treatment plant, details of remedial works and also details of a large gala concert held at the complex. Solicitors for the church responded with information and stated that although 1,600 guests had attended the concert additional toilet facilities had been provided that were not connected to the sewerage system. Dave Willis, area environment manager of the Environment Agency, said: “We are pleased that the court decided to impose a significant financial penalty on the organisation today. 'The incident had a serious and avoidable impact on a local watercourse, caused by failing to ensure that the new treatment plant operated correctly. “We take these types of incidents very seriously and will do everything within our powers to safeguard the environment and people affected, and that includes bringing those who harm the environment to account for their actions.”

The court heard that the college had been aware of the long-standing problem and was therefore negligent, but has since spent a lot of money to get the treatment plant operating properly. Magistrates stated the organisation was aware of the long-standing problem and therefore negligent, but has since spent considerable money on installing new infrastructure to get the sewage treatment plant operating as it should. The court also noted that no long-term harm to the watercourse was caused.
Worthing Magistrates Court fines the Church of Scientology £14,000 and orders it to pay £2,566 in costs for polluting the River Medway in West Sussex, England, with raw sewage.