YORKSHIRE Water is among companies "named and shamed" by the Environment Agency over pollution.
The agency has criticised firms that repeatedly cause pollution, despite prosecutions and fines, in its annual report on good and bad environmental behaviour of UK businesses.
Barbara Young, Environment Agency chief executive, said:
"We have introduced risk based charging, linking licence fees to environmental performance. The good guys are recognised for their hard work while the poor performers are penalised."
Yorkshire Water was named as a serial polluter in the report.
It was fined a total of £31,500 for five offences between June 2001 and March 2002.
Offences included a raw sewage spill, which killed 40,000 fish at Pannal, near Harrogate. Another sewage leak at Swillington, near Leeds, wiped out invertebrate in Fleakingly Beck.
Yorkshire Water also polluted Dutch Dyke near Doncaster with sewage.
However, Yorkshire Water's record has improved since 2001, when it was fined £53,000.
It is one of few companies in the Environment Agency report to have improved and reduced its pollution problems each year.
Yorkshire Water say they have the best compliance record in the UK water industry.
In 2002, for the fourth time in five years, the firm achieved 100% compliance with regulations for discharges into the environment.
Graham Dixon, director of waste water, said: "We've achieved a massive reduction in pollution incidents, cutting them by over 80%.
"The report clearly shows that we are heading in the right direction.
"We know there is no room for complacency and are fully aware that even one pollution incident is one too many."
