§ Mr. BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answers of 19 December 1997,Official Report, columns 358–59, on pollution incidents and discharges to water in excess of permitted limits, if he will provide the figures for the whole of 1997. [44411]
§ Angela Eagle[holding answer 9 June 1998]The number of discharges which exceeded their consented limits during 1997 is set out by quarter as follows:
Number January-March 1,447 April-June 1,023 July-September 966 October-December 1,281 Total For 1997 4,717 In considering whether or not to prosecute against a breach of consent, the Agency takes into account a number of factors including the seriousness of the breach and whether it is a repeated breach. The majority of breaches were not serious in nature and did not cause any significant environmental damage. In most cases, the breaches were quickly rectified since most dischargers, on being notified of a failed sample, took prompt action to remedy matters.
In 1997, the Agency brought 65 prosecutions under section 85(6) of the Water Resources Act 1991 against breaches of consent. Of these, 61 were successful, including 1 prosecution which resulted in a prison sentence of 2 months. The fines imposed in 1997 ranged from £440 to £12,000.