POLLUTING companies will be liable for unlimited fines as a result of a UK government decision to lift the current £250,000 (RM1.5 million) ceiling on penalties.

The decision will allow environmental regulators to impose large penalties without having to go through lengthy criminal prosecutions.

Environment Secretary Therese Coffey announced plans to allow unlimited fines for polluting water companies in April, a policy that has now been expanded to include others from energy firms to waste operators.

“Polluters must always pay. We are scrapping the cap on civil penalties and significantly broadening their scope to target a much wider range of offences – from breaches of storm overflow permits to the reckless disposal of hazardous waste,” Coffey said in a statement yesterday.

“It builds on action being taken right across government to stand up for our environment – tackling pollution, protecting delicate ecosystems and enhancing nature.”

The new powers will come into force “in due course” after both the lower and upper houses of parliament approve amendments to environmental regulations legislation.

They come amid a long-running scandal over privatised water firms pumping raw sewage into rivers and onto seashores.

Environmental campaigners have also highlighted the harmful impact the discharges have on the country’s wildlife and fragile ecosystems. – AFP, July 12, 2023.