Fines And Imprisonment For Breaking Environmental Laws

Courts handed out more than £3.5m in fines and 11 years imprisonment last year for companies, directors and individuals who broke environmental laws, the Environment Agency has revealed.

Around 300 companies were prosecuted in 2006, including utility company, Thames Water, which topped the list with a fine of £191,600 for water pollution.

Fines rose by almost £1m on the previous year, but the agency still called for harsher penalties on environmental crime and additional powers to impose fines directly.

EA chief executive Barbara Young said the average penalty was only £11,800 and fines could be “as low as one thousandth of a per cent of a company’s worth”.

The Environment Agency also called for tougher emissions trading as fewer permits had been allocated to combat increasing greenhouse gas emissions.

"The law is there to protect our environment and so those businesses and individuals who think they can cut corners best watch out - we won’t tolerate it,” Baroness Young said.

"Waste cheats, for example, make money from their crimes, pollute our environment and damage the legitimate law-abiding businesses. So the penalties need to reflect the seriousness of the crime.”

She continued:

"At the end of the day it pays to be green. Research shows that by adapting to climate change through improved efficiencies, businesses can save as much money as an equivalent 5% increase on sales. We all know too well that we have little time left to put the brakes on climate change and preserve our environment, so business as usual just won’t do.”

 

Source: Workplace Law Network

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