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EA inspection surge announced – but Unison says plan falls short for overburdened staff

by Karma Loveday

Defra has promised an “inspection surge” as part of its “crack down” on water companies.


Recruitment is underway at the Environment Agency (EA) for up to 500 new staff, with a view to quadrupling inspections. The plan is for that to take inspection numbers from 930 this financial year, to 4000 a year by March 2025 and 10,000 by April 2026. Defra said this will include an increase in unannounced inspections – “strengthening oversight of water companies and reducing the reliance on water company self-monitoring, which was established in 2009”.


The £55m a year cost will be funded through increased grant-in-aid from Defra to the Agency and higher charges for permits levied on water companies, which is currently subject to consultation.


The announcement added that the EA will use data-driven analytics to map discharges against rainfall more effectively, so it can direct new specialist officers to any sites at risk, identify any non-compliance and take action.


In a letter to water firms, EA chief executive Philip Duffy set out some additional details: 

  • The 500 additional staff will include almost 300 frontline regulatory officers over the next three years. A total of 250 frontline regulatory officers will be in post by the end of 2024/25 and 370 by the end of 2025/26.

  • On top of the inspection boost, “there will also be a significant increase in in-depth audits of your company assets. These allow us to get to the root cause of incidents and non-compliance more quickly and agree remedial plans with you”. The findings will be made public. 

  • New tools will be used to pick up the pace of enforcement – “We’re improving our enforcement processes to enable faster, more efficient decision-making and comprehensive recording of activity and we will continue to use, where appropriate, the full range of enforcement sanctions available (notices, civil sanctions, Variable Monetary Penalties, Enforcement Undertakings and prosecutions).”

  • The Agency will also “work collaboratively with you to drive the investment required to address poor water quality”.

Duffy said: “This is a critical moment for water companies and a big opportunity for the industry to really demonstrate commitment and tangible progress.” 


Environment secretary Steve Barclay said: “We are clear that we need to get much tougher with unannounced inspections to bring an end to the routine lawbreaking we have seen from water companies, which is what this announcement will deliver.” 


However, UNISON head of environment Donna Rowe-Merriman commented: “It’s encouraging to see the government recognise the challenges EA staff face, but ministers’ plan is still well wide of the mark. Despite the best efforts of the workforce, spills have caused irreversible harm to coasts and rivers. Adding a handful of inspectors will make little difference.


“The government’s failure to fund the Agency properly has put staff under mounting pressure. Many have quit their jobs, leaving those still in post overburdened, having to take on extra shifts to tackle the many storms, floods and pollution incidents. Ministers sat back and watched this escalating crisis unfold and have come up with an inadequate response that falls far short of what’s needed.”

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