We are disappointed by the apparent lack of regulatory oversight of the risks of water pollution from road run-off. We therefore recommend that the Environment Agency require discharge permits for all outfalls on roads with annual average daily traffic above 15,000 vehicles, establishing strict conditions for their management, so as to minimise pollution from run-off.

We are disappointed by the apparent lack of regulatory oversight of the risks of water pollution from road run-off. We therefore recommend that the Environment Agency require discharge permits for all outfalls on roads with annual average daily traffic above 15,000 vehicles, establishing strict conditions for their management, so as to minimise pollution from run-off. Type: conclusion | Number: 60 | Paragraph: 290 | Response status: not_addressed Government response: The Government does not agree that permitting is normally an appropriate risk management response for highway drains. The systems that are put in place to mitigate highway drains are passive treatment systems, with the precise form and the maintenance required determined in relation to risk and in d