Responsibilities by topic

Abandoned vehicles
Your local authority or police service

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

Aquaculture

Development consent
Crown Estate (special arrangements exist in Orkney and Shetland)
Navigational consent
Scottish Government
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.)

Beaches and bathing water

Litter, public health and facilities
Your local authority

Built environment
Historic Scotland

Canals

General
British Waterways

Coastal pollution

Shipping and offshore installations
Marine and Coastguard agency
Offshore installations
Department of Trade and Industry

Coastal protection
Your local authority

Conservation (including Sites of Special Scientific Interest, Special Areas of Conservation etc)
Scottish Natural Heritage

Contaminated land

Identifying and assessing sites
Your local authority (SEPA may provide information and advice on the water environment, if requested)
Arranging for sites to be cleaned up
Your local authority

Dog fouling and noise
Your local authority

Drinking water

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

Waterwatch Scotland
Represents customers of Scottish Water.

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

Flooding

Providing sandbags and emergency equipment
Your local authority
Flooding from drains, sewers, streams or ditches
Your local authority
Coastal flooding
Your local authority
Sewers
Scottish Water

Fly-tipping

Cleaning up
Your local authority or the occupier of the land

Food safety
Your local authority
Food Standards Agency

Gas leaks
National Grid

Genetically modified organisms
Scottish Government

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 Government

Harbour pollution
Your local 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

National Parks
National Parks

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

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

Ozone depleting substances
Scottish Government

Pest control
Your local authority

Planning permission
Your local authority

Radioactivity

Storage and accumulation of waste at nuclear licensed sites (eg power stations)
Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (part of Health and Safety Executive )
Transport of waste
Department of Transport

Road obstructions
Your local authority or police

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

Septic tanks

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

Sewage – disposing of
Scottish Water

Sewage treatment – regulating

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 Government

Waste

Collection
Your local authority
Your area waste plan
Your local authority

Water

See separate listings above for:

Aquaculture
Beaches and bathing water
Canals
Coastal pollution
Drinking water
Flooding
Sewage
Shipping