A creamery in Cornwall wants to produce two more tonnes of cheese every hour - but it will have to have its environmental permits changed to do so - just a year after its owner was handed a £1.5 million fine for polluting a river.

The Environment Agency (EA) has launched a consultation over two possible permit variations relating to expansion plans for the Davidstow Creamery in Camelford.

Owner of the creamery, Dairy Crest, wants to increase its cheese production capacity from 9.6 tonnes per hour to 11.4 tonnes per hour.

It also wants to update operations and make improvements, including to the nearby effluent treatment works, and so has applied for a permit variation.

The EA has also applied for a permit variation to review the limits and parameters associated with the current discharge of treated waste water and is pledging to ensure these sufficiently protect the River Inny.

Last June, Dairy Crest was fined £1.5 million after pleading guilty to 21 counts relating to pollution and breaches of environmental permits after waste was discharged into the River Inny and caused the death of a large number of fish.

READ MORE: Cathedral City cheese producer fined £1.5m for pouring 'foul' waste into river

In order for the permit to increase production to be granted, the EA has explained that "Dairy Crest Limited will need to show they are putting in place the necessary measures to protect people and to prevent or minimise emissions and impacts on the environment".

When considering the permit variations, the EA is limited to issues covered by the environmental permit.

These include, but are not limited to, the general operation of the site, emissions to air and water, pollution to surface and groundwater, noise and odour.

Following this initial consultation, if the EA thinks it may grant the permit variations, it will consult again before reaching a final decision on each permit variation.

The consultation is open until 5pm on June 27.

For more details about the consultation and to comment on it, visit the EA online consultation portal, Citizen Space, here.