Peak District mining company, Glebe Mines Ltd. has pleaded guilty to offences under the Water Resources Act 1991 for polluting the Stoke Brook and River Derwent in two separate incidents in January and August 2007.

Huge quantities of sediment from a mine poured into the Stoke Brook and then the River Derwent, after escaping from a holding lagoon on a nearby hillside. Pools were filled with heavy metal ‘tailings’ and gravel was choked as far down as the confluence with the Trent – many miles downstream.

After waiting to gauge any long-term damage due to the high levels of lead and other toxic metals in the tailings, Fish Legal, on behalf of Waltonian Angling Club, issued legal proceedings against Glebe Mines when its insurance company’s loss adjusters refused to settle the case. In the end the case was soon resolved without the need for a trial.

Initial concerns that heavy metals in the tailings could be “assimilated” through the food chain were proved right in investigations carried out by an expert instructed by Fish Legal. The Waltonian Angling Club experienced a more direct problem: they couldn’t safely wade for 18 months and so fishing was severely impaired by deep, quick-sand like deposits.

Mark Lloyd, chief executive of the Angling Trust and Fish Legal said: “This was a very complex case involving significant costs and time for our whole team over many years. I am pleased that it has been resolved and that the company will compensate our member club for the damage to its fishing.”

As the case was settled before it went to court, the amount paid to the Waltonian Angling Club has not been disclosed.