A water company and a bakery were fined after admitting polluting waterways.

Bicester Magistrates' Court ordered Thames Water to pay £6,000 in fines and £3,568 costs for breaching its consent to discharge sewage into the Kings Sutton stream, Kings Sutton, last August.

An Environment Agency spokesman said evidence showed the works may have been under-performing for a substantial part of the year.

The agency said in a statement: "Sewage effluent is harmful to the aquatic environment as it can settle on the river bed and hamper fish from spawning. It can cause physical damage to the gills of fish and affecting the growth of vital plants by reducing light into the river."

Thames Water said the failures occurred when the works was put under pressure due to cold weather.

Banbury's Fine Lady Bakeries also admitted polluting the River Cherwell with diesel and waste bakery washings.

Bicester Magistrates' Court fined the company £3,000 and ordered it to pay more than £5,000 costs.

The court heard Environment Agency officers were called in September 2005 after several reports of dead fish and oil pollution in the river.

Investigating officer David Headon said: "These were disappointing fines against a substantial company, which could send out the wrong messages to others."