Environment Agency water enforcement team increases by almost fivefold since 2023
Ramp up in inspections with over 8,000 of the Agency’s 10,000 planned inspections for 2025/26 now complete
Builds on action already taken by the Environment Agency, reforms under the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025 and record levels of funding.
The Environment Agency has assembled its largest ever team of investigators, enforcement officers and lawyers tackling water pollution, significantly strengthening its enforcement capability as part of a drive to build a tougher regulatory culture.
In the Yorkshire there are now over 30 roles dedicated to water company sewage and compliance and enforcement.
The regulator has increased its water enforcement workforce almost fivefold – from 41 roles in 2023 to 195 by March 2026, with a further increase planned later in 2026. Water company environmental performance has continued to decline in recent years, and this has driven the need for stronger, more visible enforcement action.
This expanded teams means the regulator can deliver swifter, tougher action against environmental harm – deterring illegal activity, and focusing efforts on achieving a cleaner water environment.
Enforcement officers investigate water companies for breaches of environmental law. A typical day might see them visiting facilities to inspect equipment, collecting water and soil samples for chemical analysis, and providing evidence to courts and legal teams to support prosecutions.
The EA has already delivered significant results, with over 8,000 of the 10,000 planned water inspections completed in2025/26. Of these over 1,000 have been delivered in Yorkshire. The 8,000 inspections across the country have resulted in over 4,700 individual improvement actions for water companies, including repairing sewage works and upgrading infrastructure. Water enforcement last year resulted in over £6.9 million in enforcement undertakings being paid by water companies after breaking environmental law and redirected into cleaning up our waterways.
This suite of enforcement activity and record levels of inspections has already led to improved performance from water companies with a 4% decrease in permit breaches this year following persistent underperformance across the sector.
This expansion is being backed by the largest budget for water enforcement and compliance ever – with a record £153 million this financial year to enable this increase. This includes funding through the introduction of a strengthened “polluter pays” approach, with water companies now covering the costs of enforcement, including investigations.
EA Water Industry Manager, Jacqui Tootill, said:
Northumbrian Water received only two stars out of five in our last assessment of their environmental performance, meaning they require improvement. They must do better for the environment and the communities they serve. Our newly formed team is there to help drive improvements day in day out and is taking decisive action where the company is failing to protect our treasured rivers, lakes and coast.
EA Director for Water, Helen Wakeham, said:
With more specialists and enforcement teams on the ground, the Environment Agency has more resources than ever to protect our waterways from pollution.
Our teams will use a wide range of actions to hold water companies to account — from formal notices to civil penalties and prosecution.
Enforcement is only one tool in our compliance toolbox. Our goal is to identify and address the root causes of pollution and work with water companies to prevent it from occurring in the first place.
