Suella has welcomed new laws which give regulators the scope to hit polluters with unlimited fines and broadened their powers to target a wider range of offences, tackling pollution and protecting nature for future generations.
The current limit of £250,000 on variable monetary penalties that the Environment Agency and Natural England can impose directly on operators will be lifted, following a government consultation which received widespread public support.
Our natural environment is precious, but a £250,000 cap on fines for polluters and the small range of offences where regulators are allowed to make fines has forced environment agencies to go through lengthy and complex court proceedings to hold bad operators to account.
That is why today, the Government announced it is scrapping the cap on the penalties for polluters levied by the Environment Agency and Natural England and significantly widen their scope to target a much wider range of offences – from breaches of storm overflow permits to the reckless disposal of hazardous waste.
This will offer regulators a quicker method of enforcement than lengthy and costly criminal prosecutions – although the most serious cases will continue to be taken through criminal proceedings.
New powers will also enable these higher penalties to be levied as a civil sanction for offences under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016, the regime under which the majority of Environment Agency investigations take place. This will ensure regulators have the right tools to drive compliance across a range of sectors, strengthening enforcement and holding all who hold environmental permits – from energy and water companies to waste operators and incinerators – to greater account.
Commenting, Suella said:
“I give my constant and pro-active support to help reduce the pollution of our waterways. I am glad that this is the first Government to set out expectations that water companies must take steps to significantly reduce storm overflows. Today’s announcement is a welcomed addition to this Government’s proud track record on this important issue.
“These new laws will mean polluters are held to account and builds on the action being taken right across government to stand up for our environment – stopping pollution and protecting nature for generations to come.”
Commenting, Minister for Environmental Quality and Resilience Rebecca Pow said:
“By lifting the cap on these sanctions, we are simultaneously toughening our enforcement tools and expanding where regulators can use them. This will deliver a proportionate punishment for operators that breach their permits and harm our rivers, seas and precious habitats.
“This was one of the measures set out in our Plan for Water earlier this year. I am proud to say this government has acted swiftly so that this will now be enshrined in law, further strengthening the power of regulators to hold polluters to account.”
