East Midlands Airport has been hit with a penalty of nearly £900,000 for environmental breaches.
It pleaded guilty to three counts of discharging contaminated water into nearby Diseworth Brook in 2022.
The airport does not have mains sewage for its runways so has to manage the run-off .
It was found it have been ‘reckless’ with water contaminated by de-icer.
Airport managing director Steve Griffiths said the airport has taken ‘decisive action’ and invested more than £10m in its drainage.
However, Judge Martin Hurst said the airport has failed to invest sufficiently in its systems for the past decade.
He handed down a fine of £892,500 plus costs of £65,687.54.
The judge said the airport’s actions and caused ‘risk to livestock and the residents of the village of Diseworth.’
The run-off from the de-icing of runways and aircraft is held in ponds.
Environment Agency investigations found several defects in these waste water systems.
On three occasions, contaminated water went into Diseworth Brook runs into the middle of the village, the court heard.
The Environment Agency said the airport had a ‘poor history’ of permit compliance with 13 breaches since 2006.
This led to 10 official written warnings.
