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Pollution: Fines

Volume 468: debated on Monday 26 November 2007

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was levied in fines by local authorities for incidences of pollution against (a) companies, (b) local authorities and (c) individuals for each type of pollution incidence in each financial year since 2000, broken down by (i) region and (ii) fine. (165541)

The total value of Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs), issued by local authorities, by English region for noise related offences in 2004-05 and 2005-06, is shown in the following table. FPNs issued for noise under the Noise Act 1996 can currently only be issued for night noise from domestic premises, which excludes companies.

Fine total

£

Region

2004-05

2005-06

South East

100

100

North West

4

North East

56

1,500

West Midlands

1,500

East of England

2

Yorkshire and Humber

100

Total

1,672

1,700

The Department does not hold data for offences from 2000 to 2003. Information on the number of FPNs issued by local authorities to businesses and individuals for local environmental quality offences is published on the DEFRA website.

Data for 2006-07 will be published shortly.

The Clean Air Act provides for fines for various offences which are all enforced by local authorities through magistrates courts. However, DEFRA does not collect these data.

For contaminated land, Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 provides for fines, levied through the courts, where a person fails, without reasonable excuse, to comply with any of the requirements of a remediation notice. Any convictions for such offences are contained on a register maintained by the enforcing authority. DEFRA does not collect these data centrally.

Total fines imposed by the courts for offences under the Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations, where local authorities are the regulator, are shown as follows.

Fines imposed

£

Region

2000-01

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

North East

North West

500.00

23,000.00

475.00

22,500.00

Yorkshire and Humberside

5,500.00

10,500.00

9,500.00

4,500.00

4,500.00

West Midlands

2,000.00

15,000.00

237,820.00

23,000.00

East Midlands

4,000.00

30,000.00

8,000.00

East of England

72,400.00

2,500.00

2,000.00

Wales

8,000.00

2,000.00

2,000.00

750.00

London

21,116.00

South East

29,000.00

South West

7,250.00

Total

87,150.00

62,500.00

39,616.00

59,500.00

248,295.00

50,750.00

Our annual statistical reports, which contain details of each recorded prosecution, can be found on the DEFRA website.

Further data on fines levied by local authorities for other pollution incidents could be collated only at disproportionate cost.