SOUTHERN Water has been handed a £30,000 fine after a “catastrophic” pollution spill killed hundreds of fish and obliterated wildlife at a Hampshire beauty spot.

The judge said the size of the fine – one of the largest for a sewage spill – sent a message to water companies that they must take great care to protect the environment.

Almost every fish for at least 1km died when raw sewage flowed into Bartley Water, near Totton, for more than 14 hours in August last year, Southampton Crown Court heard.

Species including the internationally protected Bullhead as well as Brook Lamprey, Brown Trout, eels and loach, were found dead downstream of Ashurst Bridge.

Whole communities of invertebrates were also “obliterated” for nearly two kilometres, the court was told. The impact was so significant that even pollutant-tolerant creatures like leeches and non-biting midges were killed.

The environmental disaster was considered so severe by a judge at New Forest Magistrate’s Court that the case was referred to Southampton Crown Court, where the level of fine is unlimited.

Southern Water admitted allowing polluting matter, namely sewage, to enter controlled waters.

Recorder Frank Abbott said there had been 137 incidents recorded against Southern Water since July 1990 and said this spill had a “catastrophic or at least a very serious” impact on Bartley Water.

“The environment is a precious heritage and it is incumbent on us to preserve it. It is essential that companies are vigilant to ensure that incidents such as this do not occur,” he said.

Handing down the fine, he said: “I want to send out a message that greater vigilance towards risk should be undertaken.”

The spill followed the failure of all three pumps at Ashurst Bridge Wastewater Pumping Station caused by a power surge at the station in August last year.

Gordon Starks, prosecuting for the Environment Agency (EA), said Southern Water didn’t respond to the malfunction because the system indicated that the two backup pumps were operating as normal.

The sewage stripped oxygen from the river and increased the concentration of ammonia to almost four times the lethal limit for fish.

“This had a devastating impact on the wildlife and killed almost every fish downstream for at least a kilometre,” Mr Starks said.

A spokesman for Southern Water said: “We greatly regret this incident and apologise to our customers for falling below our usual standard of operation on this occasion.”