Regulators can tackle environmental offences in various ways without going to court. The Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Act 2008 gave the Environment Agency a range of new powers to impose civil (or non-criminal) sanctions, depending on the circumstances of the offence. SEPA will soon have very similar powers under Part 3 of the Regulatory Reform (Scotland) Act 2014. Not all of the civil sanctions listed here are available for every offence. The Environment Agency and SEPA's enforcement documents sets out which ones are available for each kind of offence (see Related Links).
Third party undertakings where the offender promises to compensate those affected by pollution.
Variable monetary penalty notices imposing fines where the regulators decides on the amount according to the gravity of the offence.
Stop notices which will prevent a person from carrying on an activity until it it is undertaken properly.