One of Britain's richest women has been fined £28,000 after her estate extracted excessive water from a Dorset river during a drought period.
The Honourable Charlotte Townshend's Ilchester Estate used 7,500 cubic metres more than the allowed amount from the River Frome between December 2022 and July 2023.
The estate was ordered to pay a £19,777 penalty plus £8,298 in costs to the Environment Agency through a civil sanction - making up for the excess water usage which equated to three Olympic-sized swimming pools.
The Ilchester Estate held a licence to extract 66.6 cubic metres of water daily from the River Frome, a sensitive chalk stream, amounting to approximately 12,100 cubic metres over six months.
The water was used to supply homes, offices, water gardens and farms across the 15,000-acre estate in Dorset.
The excessive extraction occurred during an official drought period in the Wessex Water region.
Carolyn Lane, senior environment officer for the Environment Agency, criticised the estate's actions, saying: "Chalk streams are stunningly beautiful, but ecologically sensitive, watercourses.
"Where companies or individuals hold licences to take water from them, they cannot ignore the conditions attached and take as much water as they like."
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Lane added that the estate had "deliberately flouted the conditions" during a drought period, likely causing damage to the river and surrounding environment.
Townshend, worth £489million according to the Sunday Times Rich List, ranks 287th on the list ahead of celebrities like David and Victoria Beckham and Sir Mick Jagger.
The estate had been warned about over-extraction in 2018, advising them on how to apply for increased abstraction levels.
They had promised to reduce water usage, but continued to exceed permitted levels through to 2023.
The River Frome is one of only 200 chalk streams in the world, with 85 per cent of these rare waterways located in the UK.
These streams contain mineral-rich pure water and serve as vital wildlife habitats, according to the Environment Agency.
Townshend inherited the estate from her parents, including the Abbotsbury Swannery, which her ancestors purchased from Henry VIII in 1543.
She holds the unique distinction of being the only person in Britain besides the King who is entitled to own swans.
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The Honourable Charlotte Townshend's Ilchester Estate used 7,500 cubic metres more than the allowed amount from the River Frome between December 2022 and July 2023.
The estate was ordered to pay a £19,777 penalty plus £8,298 in costs to the Environment Agency through a civil sanction - making up for the excess water usage which equated to three Olympic-sized swimming pools.
The Ilchester Estate held a licence to extract 66.6 cubic metres of water daily from the River Frome, a sensitive chalk stream, amounting to approximately 12,100 cubic metres over six months.
The water was used to supply homes, offices, water gardens and farms across the 15,000-acre estate in Dorset.
The excessive extraction occurred during an official drought period in the Wessex Water region.
Carolyn Lane, senior environment officer for the Environment Agency, criticised the estate's actions, saying: "Chalk streams are stunningly beautiful, but ecologically sensitive, watercourses.
"Where companies or individuals hold licences to take water from them, they cannot ignore the conditions attached and take as much water as they like."
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Lane added that the estate had "deliberately flouted the conditions" during a drought period, likely causing damage to the river and surrounding environment.
Townshend, worth £489million according to the Sunday Times Rich List, ranks 287th on the list ahead of celebrities like David and Victoria Beckham and Sir Mick Jagger.
The estate had been warned about over-extraction in 2018, advising them on how to apply for increased abstraction levels.
They had promised to reduce water usage, but continued to exceed permitted levels through to 2023.
The River Frome is one of only 200 chalk streams in the world, with 85 per cent of these rare waterways located in the UK.
These streams contain mineral-rich pure water and serve as vital wildlife habitats, according to the Environment Agency.
Townshend inherited the estate from her parents, including the Abbotsbury Swannery, which her ancestors purchased from Henry VIII in 1543.
She holds the unique distinction of being the only person in Britain besides the King who is entitled to own swans.
Find Out More...