Record £20 million fine for water pollution offences.
In January 2016, Thames Water Utilities Ltd (TWUL) was fined £1 million for causing pollution to a canal.
Thames Water Utilities Prosecution The prosecution followed a series of six separate sewage pollution incidents on the River Thames, occurring at different sites between 2012 and 2014.
According to the Environment Agency’s press release, ‘Investigations.revealed a catalogue of failures by TWUL management’.
These have included increasing the numbers of staff in key operational roles and investing heavily to improve reliability.
Where there has been a breach which has resulted in prosecution, the Court of Appeal has made it clear that Board-level commitment to compliance with environmental regulations will be a significant mitigating factor.
It should receive both specific (eg incident-led) and routine reports; the Board should act on specific and routine reports which flag environmental compliance weaknesses; and environmental compliance discussions should be minuted in case of future investigations.
Large fines are not only limited to water companies.
We have an expert team who can assist regarding environmental regulation and compliance.
It is recommended that specific professional advice is sought before acting on any of the information given.