The Environment Agency has reported that work is continuing on its largest ever criminal investigation, to date, into potential breaches of environmental permit conditions by all water and sewerage companies discharging into English waters.
The extent of potential non-compliance involves more than 2,200 wastewater treatment works. To date, the investigation team has reviewed over 35,000 exhibits and produced over 1,050 statements from evidence handling, review and analysis.
As well as leading on the main investigation, the team has also worked on a separate investigation involving the sentencing hearing of Anglian Water Services Ltd. The company was ordered to pay over £50,000 in fines and costs in a case brought as part of a wider criminal investigation last year.
The EA’s investigation team has now moved to the next phase and is gathering statements from external witnesses. In any criminal investigation it is a normal and necessary process to gather evidence from witnesses. The environmental offences under investigation are criminal offences. The investigation must comply with all criminal investigation rules to gather and produce evidence to a very high standard and satisfy the criminal burden of proof which is ‘beyond reasonable doubt.’ The EA has said this results in the investigation being more complex which is why timescales of this investigation are longer than others.
Potential witnesses range from campaign and pressure groups, academics, citizen science projects, leisure water users and businesses, NGOs around the water sector and people who have reported a relevant incident to the Environment Agency.
The team has also been looking to whistle-blowers who may be able to provide information.
A Senior Investigating Officer who is working as part of the witness strategy group said:
“First, we had to establish who might be a potential witness and then understand what information those witnesses might hold about the sites we are investigating. Witnesses are important in bringing justice and we welcome their knowledge and experience. We will also continue to monitor stakeholder groups for potential witnesses.”