The number of pollution incidents allegedly perpetrated by water companies in the UK has risen sharply in the last few years. On 3 October 2022, the UK Government shared proposals to raise the maximum cap on civil penalties for pollution incidents to unprecedented levels – from £250,000 up to £250 million per violation.
If retained by the Sunak Government, the proposals will be subject to consultation. If implemented, they would represent a 1,000-fold increase on current levels.
Why the increase?