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<p>This is a devolved matter and the below relates to England only.</p><p> </p><p>Water
pollution from industry is controlled by permits issued under the Environmental Permitting
Regulations 2015. In England, these permits are issued by the Environment Agency (EA)
and control the levels of pollution in effluent discharges by setting limits on the
chemical concentration and volume of the effluent. The limits are set to protect waters
from the adverse impacts of pollution and to meet the appropriate environmental standards
for river, ground water and bathing water quality. Operators must comply with the
permit and it is an offence to breach a permit condition. Enforcement action may be
taken dependant on the nature and severity of the offence.</p><p> </p><p>In addition
to controlling pollution from discharges using permits, the EA receives around 40,000
water pollution incident reports per year. Most have little or minor impact but there
are around 250 incidents per year which are classified as significant or serious.
Very few of these are deliberate acts and are caused accidentally after spillage or
system failure. Most significant or serious pollution incidents come from the water
industry and agriculture. The remainder are spread across other sectors such as transport,
retail, manufacturing, domestic and residential or are a result of natural causes.</p><p>
</p><p>The EA responds to all serious incidents and follows them up with appropriate
action including warning letters, formal caution, civil sanctions and prosecution.
In 2014 the sentencing guidelines were revised so that fines are now related to the
level of culpability and the company’s turnover. This has seen a steep rise in the
value of fines which is now a much greater deterrent to causing pollution.</p><p>
</p><p>Working to control discharges through environmental permits and by taking decisive
action in response to pollution offences has led to significant reductions in pollution
and improvements in water quality over recent years. Plans for continued improvement
in this area are included in the Government's 25 Year Environmental Plan.</p>
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