Quick links

You are here: Home > External Links

What we don't do

SEPA often receives environmental event notifications for issues for which are the statutory responsibility of other organisations. To help you get to the right place quickly the table below provides a quick guide to a number of issues, together with how you can contact the right organisation.

Responsibilities by topic

Responsibilities	Organisations
Abandoned vehicles	Your local authority Your local police
Animal and plant health	Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA): Identifying and controlling endemic and exotic diseases and pests in animals, plants and bees Surveillance of new diseases Protecting endangered wildlife Regulating the safe disposal of animal by-products
Air pollution from vehicles, household areas (eg bonfires), small businesses and small industries	Your local authority
Aquaculture	Development consent: Crown Estate Scotland Navigational consent: Scottish Government Fish health: Fish Health Inspectorate (part of Fisheries Research Service) Assuring the safety, quality and effectiveness of veterinary medicines: Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD licenses chemicals for marine use generally. SEPA issues site-specific permits.) Planning permissions: Your local authority Pollution from vessels: Maritime and Coastguard Agency Issues relating the handling of fish mortalities: Your local authority APHA: See above
Beaches and bathing water	Litter, public health and facilities: Your local authority
Canals	Scottish Canals
Coastal pollutions	Shipping and offshore installations: Maritime and Coastguard Agency Offshore installations: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)
Coastal protection	Your local authority
Conservation (including Sites of Special Scientific Interest, Special Areas of Conservation, etc)	Nature Scot
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
Dogs: fouling and noise	Your local authority
Drinking water	Public supplies: Scottish Water Checking private supplies: Your local authority Quality: Drinking Water Quality Regulator
Environmental issues in England	Environment Agency
Environmental issues in Northern Ireland	Northern Ireland Environment Agency
Environmental issues in Wales	Natural Resources Wales
Flooding	Clears and repair watercourses: Your local authority Plans, implements, builds and maintains flood protection measures: Your local authority Drainage of public highways and local roads: Your local authority Local Flood Risk Management Plans:Your local authority May provide property flood protection but have no responsibility to do so:Your local authority Overflowing or blocked sewers: Scottish Water
Fly-tipping	Reporting: Your local authority Cleaning up: Your local authority or the occupier/ landowner if private land
Food hygiene	Your local authority
Food safety	Food Standards Scotland
Forestry	Policy, support and regulation: Scottish Forestry Managing Scotland's national forests and land: Forestry and Land Scotland
Gas leaks	National Grid
Genetically modified organisms	Scottish Government
Government policy and legislation affecting the environment (England and Wales)	Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
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.)
Historic buildings, landscape and heritage	Historic Environment Scotland
Light pollution	Your local authority
Litter	Your local authority
National parks	National Parks
Nature conservation (through local biodiversity action plans)	Your local authority
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 (except radioactivity)	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)
Ozone depleting substances	Scottish Government
Pest control	Your local authority
Planning permission	Your local authority
Radioactivity	Any activity involving radioactive material carried on by the licensee at a nuclear licensed site: Office of Nuclear Regulation (ONR) Transport of radioactive material or waste: Office of Nuclear Regulation (ONR) Responsible for safety at nuclear licensed sites: Office of Nuclear Regulation (ONR) Responsibility for worker safety in relation to radioactive substances at premises other than at a nuclear licensed site: Health and Safety Executive
Road obstructions	Your local authority Your local police
Safety at major industrial sites (COMAH - Control of Major Accident Hazards)	SEPA, together with the Health and Safety Executive
Septic tanks and sewage disposal (including sewage treatment works or land spreading activities)	Emptying: Scottish Water(some private businesses also offer this service) Odour: Your local authority
Shipping	Maritime and Coastguard Agency - Air pollution, sewage and garbage discharge from ships, shipwrecks, pollution from ships at sea.
Smells/odours	Your local authority (except for problems from sites, or parts of sites, regulated by SEPA)
Smoke	Your local authority(except for problems from sites, or parts of sites, regulated by SEPA)
Sustainable development	Scottish Government
Trade effluent discharges	Scottish Water
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/protection Drinking water Flooding Harbour pollution Septic tanks/Sewage Shipping