- Environment Agency investigation ends in successful prosecution
- Farmer admits leaky pipe caused slurry to enter River Swilgate
The case brought by the Environment Agency was heard at Cheltenham Magistrates’ Court on Monday 29 September 2025.
Timothy Juckes, age 48, of Tredington House Farm, Tredington, near Tewkesbury, pleaded guilty to illegally discharging slurry into the River Swilgate, over 14 and 15 November 2022.
He was fined £1,086, ordered to pay costs of £5,528.50 and a victim’s surcharge of £434.
The court was told that the Environment Agency received reports of pollution at Tredington on 16 November 2022.
Environment Agency investigation
Officers attended the site and conducted a survey which identified the source of the pollution as the farm. They also noted a strong slurry smell, brown discoloured water and some dead fish.
Water samples showed oxygen levels were low and there were elevated levels of ammonia in the river.
Pumping slurry
The defendant told the officers he had started pumping slurry from one lagoon to another on 14 November. He had laid the pipe within the watercourse.
He said he would normally support the pipe over the river, but on this occasion did not want to carry equipment on a tractor across a wet re-seeded field.
He also said he did not put the pipe across the bridge as he was tending sheep and a stock box could not get over the bridge with the pipe there.
A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said:
This pollution case was entirely preventable and shows that our officers will seek out farmers who ignore the regulations.
This case has resulted in unacceptable pollution of a local brook, causing significant harm to fish and other aquatic wildlife.
If anyone is concerned about pollution or an environmental incident, they should call our 24-7 incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.
Charges
Between 14 November 2022 and 15 November 2022, Timothy Juckes caused a water discharge activity, namely a discharge of slurry, into the River Swilgate, except under and to the extent authorised by an environmental permit, contrary to Regulation 38(1)(a) and Regulation 12(1)(b) of the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016.
