Owners of a Hampshire care home have been fined more than £2,000 after polluting the River Alver with sewage.

Heathfield Care Homes Ltd, who run Tudor Lodge Nursing Home in Newgate Lane, Fareham pleaded guilty to two breaches of their sewage discharge consent at Fareham Magistrates Court.

The breaches were discovered when an Environment Agency officer took routine samples at the nursing on two occasions last year.

The samples were taken on August 14, 2007 and December 13, 2007, and both showed high levels of bacteria entering the water.

The second failure occurred despite contractors visiting the site to carry out maintenance work on the treatment plant in November 2007.

For the full story, see Friday's Daily Echo