Policy paper

Offence response options: Environment Agency

The offence response options documents set out the options available to every offence we regulate.

• From: Environment Agency
• Published: 20 December 2019
• Last updated: 24 April 2026
  Show all updates

  1. 24 April 2026

     Updated the 'Waste offences' offence response options document. All Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulation 2007 (TFS) offences have a fixed penalty notice as an offence response option.

  2. 12 March 2026

     Updated the 'Waste offences' offence response options document. This update relates to the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024 which went live on the 1 January 2026. Added the offence 'Regulation 115(1)(f), Regulation 121 and table of civil sanctions Schedule 13'. For the following offences we can now impose a ‘compliance notice’ as one of the civil sanctions: 'Regulation 115(4), Regulation 121 and table of civil sanctions Schedule 13', 'Regulation 31(d), Regulation 121 and table of civil sanctions Schedule 13', 'Regulation 31(e), Regulation 121 and table of civil sanctions Schedule 13', 'Regulation 31(b) and paragraph 4(5) Schedule 9, Regulation 121 and table of civil sanctions Schedule 13', 'Regulation 31(c) and paragraph 4(5) Schedule 9, Regulation 121 and table of civil sanctions Schedule 13', 'Regulation 31(d) and paragraph 4(5), Schedule 9, Regulation 121 and table of civil sanctions Schedule 13', 'Regulation 31(e) and paragraph 4(5), Schedule 9, Regulation 121 and table of civil sanctions Schedule 13'.

  3. 31 March 2025

     Updated the 'Waste offences' offence response options document. In section 'Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA)', added a subsection on 'Section 45AZF(4)' offences. Added a new section on 'Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024' offences.

  4. 28 June 2024

     'Waste offences' document. Section 5. The Packaging Waste (Data Reporting) (England) Regulations 2023 – changed Regulation 28(6) as it is now split into 'Regulation 28(6)(a)' and 'Regulation 28(6)(b)'. Section 7.2 Shipment of waste within the community – corrected an error under 'Regulation 20(2)(c)' changed Article 20 to 19.

  5. 21 February 2024

     For 'Extant water quality provisions offences' - updated all of section '3. Nitrate Pollution Prevention Regulations 2015'. Updated section '4. Water Industry Act 1991' to clarify the regulations and add 'compliance notice' as a civil sanction we can impose for Section 120(9) and Section 130(7) offences. For 'Land quality offences' - updated section '3. The Reduction and Prevention of Agricultural Diffuse Pollution (England) Regulations 2018'. For 'Waste offences' - added Section 59ZB(6), Section 158. Added fixed penalty notice as an option for Section 5(7)(a). Added Regulation 19 and 89(2)(a)(i). For 'Environmental damage offences' - added Regulation 34(2).

  6. 11 December 2023

     Updated the 'Environmental Permitting Regulations (EPR) offences' document to say we will use variable monetary penalties for some EPR offences committed on or after 11 December 2023.

  7. 5 September 2023

     Removed text under regulation 10 in the chemicals sector offences document which related to guidance for internal use only.

  8. 21 August 2023

     'Fisheries offences' - section 1. Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975, clarified in Section 4(1): cause or knowingly permit any liquid or solid matter that is poisonous or injurious to fish, spawn, spawning areas or food of fish to enter waters containing fish. 'Flood risk management offences' - section 5. Flood Water Management Act 2010, Section 30 and Schedule 1 13(5) - removed 'The civil sanction we can impose is: variable monetary penalty'.

  9. 28 February 2023

     Added the offence response options for the Packaging Waste (Data Reporting) (England) Regulations 2023 to the Waste offences document.

  10. 31 December 2020

      We have updated the documents for chemicals sector offences, climate change offences and waste offences. The specific changes are listed in each document.

  11. 14 October 2020

      Amended an error in the 'Waste' offence response options document. Under 'Failure to comply with a Section 34(5) notice to furnish transfer notes' we omitted the response 'fixed penalty notice'. We have now added this.

  12. 20 December 2019

      First published.

Applies to England

Documents

Chemicals sector offences

Ref: LIT 17158

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Climate change offences

Ref: LIT 17159

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Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) offences

Ref: LIT 17160

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Environmental damage offences

Ref: LIT 17161

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Environmental Permitting Regulations (EPR) offences

Ref: LIT 17162

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Extant water quality provisions offences

Ref: LIT 17163

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Fisheries offences

Ref: LIT 17168

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Flood risk management offences

Ref: LIT 17164

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Land quality offences

Ref: LIT 17165

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Navigation offences

Ref: LIT 17169

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Obstruction: common offences

Ref: LIT 17166

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Reservoir offences

Ref: LIT 17170

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Waste offences

Ref: LIT 17171

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Water resources offences

Ref: LIT 17167

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Details

These documents incorporate the provisions of the regulator’s code. We will review them on a regular basis to reflect changes in legislation, government policy or ways of working.

These documents do not explain legislation or legal process. See our enforcement and sanctions policy documents.

Sometimes we provide specific regulatory position statements that outline where we stand on important issues.