Shropshire farmer to pay nearly £40,000 for dairy slurry pollution incident

A sentencing hearing for Philip McDowell, 38, of Willoughbridge Lodge Farm, Willoughbridge, Market Drayton, was held at Kidderminster Magistrates Court on Wednesday 5 November 2025.

He had admitted allowing a discharge of dairy slurry into Lordsley Wood Quarry without an environmental permit at a hearing on 14 July 2025.

He was fined £5,300, ordered to pay compensation of £18,236.40 to the quarry owners and £14,430.34 costs to the Environment Agency. He also has to pay a victim’s surcharge of £2,000.

The judge ordered the defendant to pay compensation to the quarry owners for the costs they had incurred following the incident. Heidelberg Materials UK Limited said they had not given permission for the discharge.

Lordsley Wood Quarry is part of a regionally significant aquifer and has a water abstraction permit in place.

The court was told that the defendant was a tenant dairy farmer.

On 8 January 2023, a witness reported to the Environment Agency that he had seen the farmer pumping slurry into the quarry. Officers went to the site and found that a lagoon contained thick and dirty floating foam which smelled of cattle slurry. They also observed that the slurry had spread across a significant area of the lagoon.

McDowell attended a voluntary interview under caution. He entered a guilty plea at a hearing on 14 July 2025.

An Environment Agency spokesperson said: "We take pollution incidents very seriously and are committed to protecting our precious water resources.

“The successful prosecution of this farmer sends a clear message that we will not tolerate practices that harm the environment.

“Slurry pollution can have devastating effects on local ecosystems, and we urge all farmers/landowners to comply with environmental regulations.

“If people see environmental incidents, they should call our 24/7 hotline on 0800 807060.”