A FOOD firm which is a major supplier for the Tesco supermarket chain has been ordered to pay nearly £45,000 in fines and costs for breaching effluent levels.

Foyle Food Group admitted breaching its pollution consents at its Forest Vale Industrial Estate plant in Cinderford last January.

Cheltenham magistrates heard that Severn Trent recorded almost four times the allowed level of phosphorus and 12 times the limit for suspended solids at its Blakeney Sewage Treatment Works.

The company then traced the issue back to Foyle’s Cinderford facility.

James Jesic, managing director of production at Severn Trent, said: “It’s absolutely vital that we take this sort of legal action to protect both our treatment works and also the environment, as well as recovering costs that, otherwise, our customers would have to bear.”

In mitigation, Foyle pointed to significant sums it has spent on improving its plant.

Foyle Food Group was ordered to pay a £40,000 fine, prosecution costs of £4,054 and a victim surchgarge of £170.

Severn Trent said it had recorded phosphorus levels of 97.4mg/l compared to a limit of 25mg/l, and suspended solids of 12,300mg/l compared to a limit of 1,000mg/l on January 6.

Foyle Food Group, which is headquartered in Northern Ireland, paid £4m to buy the Ensors business out of administration and acquire its Cinderford abbatoir and processing plant in 2013.