Environmental Crime Statistics: England Prosecutions and Fines

Environmental prosecutions and fines

The Environment Agency’s 2024 figures cover 168 prosecution cases across environmental offences. Ninety-eight resulted in fines, totalling £3.8 million. In the waste sector, 34 prosecutions resulted in around £320,000 in fines and 37 custodial sentences.

For water companies, all offences produced six prosecutions and £3,527,000 in fines. The narrower water-quality series recorded five prosecutions and £3,502,000. The difference reflects offence coverage. A case completed during a year may concern an incident from an earlier year.

Recent water-company enforcement

In an update published on 10 April 2026, the Environment Agency reported 69 concluded water-company prosecutions since 2015 and more than £153 million in fines.

A June 2026 parliamentary answer records 254 enforcement actions for water-quality incidents between 1 June 2025 and 2 June 2026. These included three prosecutions with £1,622,333 in fines and 19 undertakings valued at £8,148,000. This is a separate reporting window from the calendar-year and financial-year figures.

Enforcement undertakings: £8.5 million in 2025/26

The accepted water-company undertakings list for April 2025–March 2026 contains 20 agreements worth £8,505,424. An undertaking is a voluntary agreement accepted by the regulator, with commitments to repair harm or fund environmental improvements. A criminal fine follows court proceedings.

The Chief Regulator’s report also describes over £15 million directed to environmental improvements through undertakings over five years across regulated sectors. That wider figure includes sectors beyond water companies.

Water inspections more than doubled

The Environment Agency completed 10,784 water-company compliance inspections in 2025/26, compared with 4,626 the previous year. It exceeded its target of 10,000 inspections and also stopped 224 high-risk illegal waste sites.

These figures describe regulatory activity. An inspection can confirm compliance, identify improvements or prompt further investigation; stopping an illegal site is a separate operational outcome from a prosecution.

The estimated cost of waste crime

The 2025 National Waste Crime Survey cites an estimate of £1 billion a year in England, drawn from Environmental Services Association research published in 2021. This describes the estimated economic burden of waste crime rather than the value of fines or a new measurement of 2025 losses.

Water-company penalty reform

In its July 2026 consultation response, Defra said it would bring forward secondary legislation for new water-company penalties, subject to Parliamentary approval. That response sets out the proposed next step; the commencement and detailed operation of any new penalties depend on the legislation.

Frequently asked questions

How many environmental prosecution cases did the Environment Agency report?

The Environment Agency reported 168 prosecution cases across environmental offences in England in 2024. This measures concluded enforcement activity, not every environmental offence committed.

What is the difference between a fine and an enforcement undertaking?

A fine is imposed through criminal proceedings. An enforcement undertaking is a voluntary agreement accepted by the regulator to address harm or support environmental improvements.

Why are there different water-company prosecution totals?

Reporting windows and offence coverage differ. The 2024 water-quality-only total excludes a prosecution included in the all-offence water-company figure.