The Environment Agency has published updated business case templates for Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) capital grant claims. The templates are intended for local authorities and internal drainage boards, and are designed to support consistent, evidence-based submissions that meet the Agency’s assurance requirements.
The Environment Agency has updated guidance on appealing where a water company refuses a public sewer connection or disputes the timing of provision. The process involves first applying to the relevant sewerage undertaker, with appeals to the Environment Agency taking at least 12 months and sometimes longer in complex cases.
The Environment Agency has issued a regulatory position statement on temporary storage of waste temperature exchange equipment (WTEE) where national treatment capacity constraints may prevent sites from operating within normal storage limits. It states that enforcement action will not normally be taken if the specified conditions in the RPS are met, but the underlying legal requirements remain unchanged.
Southern Water has been fined £7.1 million after repeated illegal sewage discharges between 2019 and 2021 polluted coastal waters and forced beach closures in Kent. The Environment Agency said the incidents were preventable and highlighted failures in equipment maintenance, operational oversight and timely reporting to regulators.
The Environment Agency has secured a court Restriction Order to shut down an illegal waste site at Park Head Plantation in County Durham after reports of dumping on protected land. The order prevents further waste importation and access to the site for six months while criminal proceedings continue against those alleged to have operated the site and deposited waste.
The Environment Agency has issued Regulatory Position Statement RPS 336 on accepting non-hazardous filter cake waste from soil and aggregate washing facilities at landfill and deposit for recovery sites. It clarifies that the statement does not remove the need for an environmental permit, but sets out circumstances where enforcement action would not normally be taken if the stated requirements are met.
The Environment Agency has suspended waste acceptance at Seaton Meadows landfill in Seaton Carew after a survey found some areas had been overfilled beyond agreed tipping levels. The operator, SMLF Ltd, must stop bringing in waste immediately while it works to comply with its environmental permit, and the agency will continue monitoring the site.
The Environment Agency has revoked permits for two waste sites in Greater Manchester and Derbyshire after repeated breaches of permit conditions. The sites must cease authorised activities and remove waste, with the revocations taking effect unless successfully appealed to the Planning Inspector.
Southern Water has pleaded guilty to environmental permit breaches after the Environment Agency found polluted discharges from its Fullerton wastewater treatment works entered the River Test in Hampshire. The incident involved elevated suspended solids and iron, with the company also failing to notify the regulator promptly when problems were identified.
The Environment Agency has told South West Water to pursue appropriate sewage treatment for the Isles of Scilly and confirmed that any proposed outfall and screening solution will be assessed through the permitting process. The company remains responsible for bringing the inherited wastewater system up to legal standards by 30 September 2027, with public consultation to follow once the application is duly made.
The Environment Agency has updated its WEEE evidence and national protocols guidance, including changes to evidence issuance, reporting templates, and contract requirements between approved authorised treatment facilities and producer compliance schemes. The update also introduces new provisions for vape waste, including a national protocol for battery deductions and revised recovery and recycling targets for Category 15.
Cumberland has approved plans to convert Victory House and Caledonian Mill near Carlisle’s Victoria Viaduct into a 95-bed managed student living scheme. The proposal includes the sensitive reuse of heritage buildings, retention of some commercial space, and mitigation measures to address nutrient neutrality constraints affecting the River Eden SAC catchment.
