Published on 19 January 2026, the Environment Agency confirmed it has concluded its investigation into a 2018 pollution incident near Redditch by accepting a legally binding Enforcement Undertaking from Mettis Aerospace, an alternative to prosecution set out in 2010 regulations and applied at the regulator’s discretion. (gov.uk)
According to the Agency, the incident stemmed from the uncontrolled overfilling of a process tank and inadequate containment, allowing a caustic sodium aluminate solution to reach an unprotected surface water drain and an adjacent watercourse, resulting in around 1,000 fish deaths at a permitted metals installation. (gov.uk)
Enforcement Undertakings are designed to secure practical remedies and future compliance without going to court. By inviting an offender to fund restoration, upgrade controls and compensate the community, the mechanism focuses on addressing cause and effect while avoiding the delays and uncertainty of prosecution.
The agreed actions include £504,240 for infrastructure and management systems improvements, £111,268 for initial clean‑up, £9,324 to cover the Environment Agency’s initial investigation, £13,026 for the Agency’s compliance assessment of the undertaking, and £7,000 in loss‑of‑amenity payments, taking the overall commitment beyond £1 million when combined with community projects. (gov.uk)
Beneficiaries of the £379,500 community element are Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust (£139,500), Worcestershire Wildlife Trust (£5,000), Forge Mill Needle Museum (£55,000) and Redditch Borough Council (£180,000), all backing environmental enhancement in Redditch and the Black Country. (gov.uk)
The Environment Agency said it prosecutes the most serious cases but uses undertakings where appropriate to secure remediation, procedural improvement and wider environmental benefit, with the intent of preventing repeat offending and improving compliance. (gov.uk)
Policy Wire analysis: For regulated site operators, the case reinforces the need for robust secondary containment, reliable level monitoring on tanks, clearly segregated drainage, and trained staff who can respond quickly to process faults. Where breaches occur, regulators will typically expect a coherent plan that fixes root causes, independently verifies performance and funds local environmental outcomes.
The inclusion of dedicated funding for the Agency’s compliance assessment indicates ongoing oversight as the undertaking is delivered. In this instance the undertaking was accepted as the route to resolve the 2018 offence rather than prosecution, aligning the sanction with remedial outcomes.