UK environmental watchdog finds Defra, the Environment Agency and Ofwat failed to comply with environmental law in regulating sewage overflows
Subject of this story
Also named
What happened
On 16 December 2024 the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP), the UK's statutory environmental watchdog, issued decision notices finding that Defra, the Environment Agency and Ofwat each failed to comply with environmental law in regulating combined sewer overflows. Findings included Defra guidance that did not reflect the full extent of sewerage companies' duties and was not updated after a 2012 CJEU ruling, Defra and Ofwat failing to exercise enforcement-order duties, and the Environment Agency setting permit conditions insufficient to comply with the law and failing to review CSO permits. The OEP gave each body two months to take the required steps or face possible legal action. In July 2025 the OEP said it would conclude the investigation after securing significant progress (new Defra guidance, revised Ofwat enforcement guidance and enforcement against water companies, and an updated Environment Agency assessment framework), and it published final reports in December 2025 with further recommendations while saying it would keep watch.
Sources (4)
Response
Contacted and responded — exact wording not on record.
Contacted and responded — exact wording not on record.
Contacted and responded — exact wording not on record.
What happened next (0)
No outcome recorded yet.