About SEPA | Who does what?

About SEPA : Who does what?

There are many organisations responsible for protecting and improving the environment.

This list is a basic guide to what each organisation does and is not intended as a detailed breakdown of legal duties. For more information, please contact the relevant organisation. If you want to know more about SEPA's role, contact your local office.

The first half of this page contains a list of responsibilities listed by topic. The second half contains a directory of organisations and their contact details, along with a list of responsibilities for each.

If you have any comments on the information in these pages please email the Public Relations team via our mailback form

Topics: A B C D E F G H L N O P R S T W

Organisations: SEPA / local authorities / police / B C D E F H M N S T U V

Responsibilities by topic

Abandoned vehicles
Your local authority or police

Air pollution from vehicles, household areas (e.g. bonfires), small businesses and small industries
Your local authority

Aquaculture

Control of discharges of liquid and solid waste
SEPA
Development consent
Crown Estate
* Special arrangements exist in Orkney and Shetland
Navigational consent
Scottish Executive
Fish health
Fish Health Inspectorate
Assuring the safety, quality and effectiveness of veterinary medicines
Veterinary Medicines Directorate
*VMD licenses chemicals for marine use generally. SEPA issues site-specific permits.

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Beaches and bathing water

Litter, public health and facilities
Your local authority
Discharges/pollution (from land)
SEPA
Sampling water quality
SEPA

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Built environment
Historic Scotland

Canals

General
British Waterways
Pollution
SEPA

Climate change
Scottish Executive

Coastal pollution

Shipping and offshore installations
Marine and Coastguard agency
Offshore installations
Department of Trade and Industry and operators
Pollution from land
SEPA

Coastal protection
Your local authority

Conservation (including SSSIs, SACs etc)
Scottish Natural Heritage

Contaminated land

Identifying and assessing sites
Your local authority
* SEPA may provide information and advice on controlled waters if requested
Arranging for sites to be cleaned-up
Your local authority
Managing and arranging for clean up of ‘special sites’
SEPA

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Dog fouling and noise
Your local authority

Drinking water

Public supplies
Scottish Water
Checking private supplies
Your local authority
Quality
Drinking Water Quality Regulator

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Environmental issues in Northern Ireland
Environment and Heritage Service

Environmental issues in England and Wales
Environment Agency

Environmental health and food hygiene
Your local authority

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Flooding

Providing sandbags and emergency equipment
Your local authority
Flooding from drains, sewers, streams or ditches
Your local authority
Coastal flooding
Your local authority
Flood warnings
SEPA
* to local authorities, police and via Floodline service
Assessing flood risk
SEPA
Sewers
Scottish Water

Fly-tipping

Cleaning up
Your local authority or the occupier of the land
Investigating
SEPA
* only items potentially hazardous to the environment

Food safety
Your Local Authority
Food Standards Agency

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Gas leaks
Transco

Genetically modified organisms
Scottish Executive

Government policy and legislation affecting the environment (England and Wales)
Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)

Government policy and legislation affecting the environment (Scotland)
Scottish Executive

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Harbour pollution
The harbour authority
* SEPA works with harbour authorities to investigate pollution from onshore sources. SEPA also regulates many of the activities carried out within harbour areas.

Light pollution
Your local authority

Litter (except when relating to fly-tipping)
Your local authority

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National Parks
The park authority

Noise
Your local authority
* except for noise from sites, or parts of sites, that have a Part A PPC permit from SEPA (PPC = Pollution Prevention and Control regulations)

Offshore oil and gas industry
Department of Trade and Industry (except radioactivity)

Offshore oil and gas industry – storage and disposal of radioactive material
SEPA

Outdoor access – promoting code of practice
Scottish Natural Heritage

Ozone depleting substances
Scotish Executive

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Pest control
Your local authority

Planning permission
Your local authority

Radioactivity

Storage and accumulation of waste at nuclear licensed sites (e.g. power stations)
Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (part of Health and Safety Executive)
Transport of waste
Department of Transport
Use of material, storage of waste* and disposal of waste
SEPA
* waste at nuclear licensed sites is responsibility of NII
Monitoring the environment
SEPA
Assessing public dose rates
SEPA

Road obstructions
Your local authority or police

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Safety at major industrial sites (COMAH – Control of Major Accident Hazards)
SEPA and the Health and Safety Executive together

Septic tanks

Pollution
SEPA
Emptying
Scottish Water (some private businesses also offer this service)

Sewage – disposing of
Scottish Water

Sewage treatment – regulating

Discharges to water
SEPA
Smell
Your local authority

Shipping
Department of Transport

Smoke and smell problems
Your local authority
*except for problems from sites, or parts of sites, regulated by SEPA

Sustainable development
Scottish Executive

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Waste

Collection
Your local authority
National waste plan
SEPA
Your area waste plan
Your local authority
Regulating landfills sites, waste transfer stations and civic amenity sites
SEPA
Illegal disposal (e.g. burning commercial waste)
SEPA

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Water

Discharges to rivers, lochs and estuaries
SEPA