The Environment Agency has launched a consultation on changes to variable monetary penalties – financial penalties that can be imposed for certain environmental offences.

The changes will scrap the £250,000 cap on civil penalties and significantly broaden their scope to target a wider range of environmental offences.

New enforcement powers will allow the Environment Agency to apply penalties that are quicker and easier to enforce.

The consultation will run for eight weeks and will close on 8 October. The consultation seeks views on when penalties are used, how they are calculated and the appeals process.

This follows the government announcing that it will lift the current limit of £250,000 that the Environment Agency can impose directly on operators, as well as expanding variable monetary penalties to cover more offences under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016.