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Policy Paper Published 10 Oct 2025 Environment Agency ↗ View on GOV.UK

Environment Agency enforcement and sanctions policy

How the Environment Agency uses its enforcement and sanctioning powers to secure compliance with laws that protect the environment.

▤ Verbatim text from source document

How the Environment Agency conducts enforcement activity for environmental offences and breaches.

Includes how we:

  • make enforcement and sanctioning decisions including the decision to prosecute
  • apply Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Act 2008 civil sanctions and when we may accept enforcement undertakings
  • apply climate change civil penalties
  • enforce the Control of Mercury (Enforcement) Regulations 2017

See our offence response options documents which set out the options available to every offence we regulate.