“This should never have happened,” said Water Minister Emma Hardy, after United Utilities Water Limited was fined £60,000 for releasing fish without a permit in Greater Manchester. The court also ordered a £2,000 victim surcharge and £24,098.06 in costs. The company had earlier pleaded guilty to failing to obtain the required permit.

The case centres on High Rid Reservoir in Horwich, near Bolton. On 12 December 2024, during a scheduled scour valve test, more than 30,000 roach were flushed into Bessy Brook; investigators estimate over 16,000 died. A specialist contractor recovered roughly 18,000 fish and returned them to the reservoir.

Scour valves are vital safety kit and must be tested. But the Environment Agency said the high‑speed discharge left fish with catastrophic injuries, with some bodies found lodged in bridge walls about two feet above the waterline and others with severe damage to scales and organs.

Officers attended Bessy Brook on 13 December 2024 after reports of dead fish. Water samples and footage showed no chemical pollution. United Utilities told investigators it believed a large shoal had entered the pipework to avoid predatory birds before the test.

The legal point was clear, the regulator said: the company did not hold a permit to introduce fish to the downstream watercourse in such numbers. The unauthorised introduction of 34,000 fish was classed as Category 2 harm - a significant adverse impact on animal health.

Prosecutors confirmed the sentence is a first for the industry under The Keeping and Introduction of Fish (England and River Esk Catchment Area) Regulations 2015. For a region long asking for tougher oversight of water firms, it is a notable marker.

In mitigation, United Utilities said it had changed procedures and later completed a test without incident. It has also made a voluntary £500,000 donation to Groundwork Greater Manchester for proposed Middle Brook restoration, separate to the criminal penalty.

“We are letting water companies know they must abide by all legislative requirements,” said Andy Brown, the Environment Agency’s North West water industry regulation manager, adding that officers will take firm action when rules are breached.

Emma Hardy said Government reforms will create a stronger regulator with the power to carry out MOT‑style checks on water assets to stop failures before they happen. The aim, she said, is to prevent incidents like Horwich from repeating.

The Environment Agency says it has completed 10,000 water company inspections this year, prompting thousands of improvement actions and infrastructure upgrades. Since 2015 it has concluded 69 prosecutions against water and sewerage firms, securing over £153m in fines, with £6.9m in enforcement undertakings paid last year.

The regulator has expanded its enforcement workforce from 41 roles in 2023 to 195 by March 2026, backed by a record £153m budget for compliance and enforcement. Further increases are planned later in 2026 to sustain pressure on poor performers.

Residents who see dead fish, distress, or signs of pollution should report it to the Environment Agency’s incident hotline on 0800 807060. For communities along Bessy Brook and Middle Brook, swift reporting can be the difference between a quick rescue and a long clean‑up.