We can investigate and help with pollution incidents, offer advice to householders and businesses, and regulate polluting activities. You can report pollution by contacting us.
Light pollution
We try to prevent problems from new lighting schemes by making comments on planning applications we are consulted on. Some schemes don’t need planning permission and other existing lights can be changed without needing planning permission.
Where these cause a lighting problem action can be taken if a statutory nuisance exists.
Some lights are exempt from regulation and the only way to try to deal with these is by informal co-operation. These include lights from:
- airports
- railways
- tramways
- bus stations
- prisons
- public service or goods vehicle operating centres
Lights from other areas such as industrial, commercial and outdoor sports facilities may have a defence of 'best practicable means' in the event that legal action is taken against them.
Remember that people don’t always know they are causing a problem until somebody tells them. Contact us if you need more information.
Air pollution
Many activities can affect the air that we breathe. Traffic, bonfires, factories, hot food establishments and building sites are among the most common causes of air pollution. Pollution from road traffic is not regulated by ourselves, although we have duties under Air Quality Regulations to monitor it and implement strategies to deal with it.
We deal with certain other causes of air pollution:
- bonfires
- smoke from businesses
- odour and fumes
- dust
Environmental pollution
Industrial decline in the United Kingdom has left many areas of vacant, derelict and underused land which may contain substances in the ground that have the potential to cause harm to human health and the wider environment.
In the United Kingdom there are 2 ways of dealing with land affected by the presence of contaminated land. Through the town planning development control process and the enforcement of Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.