More than 20 companies were fined yesterday for dumping waste into the Kifissos River, which runs from north of Athens to the city’s southern coast and continues to be one of the most polluted stretches of water in Greece.

Environment and Public Works Minister Giorgos Souflias said that he was fining 25 firms almost 1 million euros for water pollution. The largest single fine was 400,000 euros on a company called Agroinvest based in Fthiotida, north of Athens. The remaining companies were all fined for emptying waste into the Kifissos.

This the latest in a series of fines on companies that have been caught polluting the river, which empties into the Saronic Gulf in Neo Faliron. Hundreds of tons of rubbish were cleared along the length of the Kifissos last summer in a volunteer campaign organized by Kathimerini and Skai.

Meanwhile, a 250,000-euro fine was slapped on the owners of a Panama-flagged ship that caused an oil spill off the island of Salamina a few days ago.