Compliance Radar

Who was sanctioned, and for what?

Fines, court rulings and incidents from Europe and North America: 718 cases from 32 jurisdictions, each with an official source and checked against that source before publication. Filter by country, area of law and sector. Click a chart to drill down one level.

3cases from 1 jurisdiction
€4.86mTotal of monetary amounts
€2.9mLargest single case: Southern Water
€1.12mMedian per case with an amount

Click a bar to drill down one level.

When?

per quarter, by date of decision
Trend
PeriodCasesTotal
Q3 20230—
Q4 20230—
Q1 20240—
Q2 20240—
Q3 20240—
Q4 20240—
Q1 20250—
Q2 20250—
Q3 20250—
Q4 20250—
Q1 20261€839,630
Q2 20260—
Q3 20262€4.02m

3 cases

22 Sep 2026 Southern WaterSouthern Water: 2.4 million GBP fine for sewage and diesel pollution in Kent United KingdomEmissions and permits €2.9m

Between 2019 and 2021, untreated sewage, sewage residues, diesel from a generator and waste entered a stream and the sea around Faversham and Whitstable; the circumstances of one incident were not reported to the Environment Agency, around 70 fish died, and bathing warnings were in place at beaches in Tankerton and Herne Bay for almost a week. The court imposed a fine of 2,416,666.67 GBP, 69,894.04 GBP in costs and a 190 GBP victim surcharge; it was the company's second conviction that year (announcement of 22 September 2026, exact date of judgment not stated).

What organisations can take from it

Repeated pollution and failure to report incidents lead to a series of prosecutions with rising fines.

Relevance to training and awareness

Reporting environmental incidents to the regulator

Authority / court
Bromley Magistrates' Court (Anklage: Environment Agency)
Area of law
Environment and sustainability · Emissions and permits
Legal basis
Regulations 12(1)(b) und 38(1)(a) Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016
Action
Fine
Status of proceedings
unknown
Sector
Energy and utilities
Repeat case
yes
Published
22 Sep 2026

Original amount 2,486,750.71 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 22 Sep 2026.

Sources

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

Report an error

Anonymous: we store only your text — no contact details and no IP address.

8 Sep 2026 United Utilities Water LimitedUnited Utilities: record fine of 900,000 GBP after sewage flood on the Fylde coast United KingdomEmissions and permits €1.12m

Following a partial pipe collapse at the Fleetwood wastewater treatment works, untreated sewage flowed from three pumping stations into the Irish Sea for over 35 hours in June 2023; seven bathing waters were affected and shellfish beds were closed. The water company pleaded guilty to five offences and must pay a fine of 900,000 GBP, 62,225 GBP in costs and a 2,000 GBP victim surcharge.

What organisations can take from it

The condition and redundancy of critical wastewater infrastructure are a permit obligation; the Environment Agency assessed the failure as reckless and in the highest harm category.

Authority / court
Preston Magistrates' Court (Anklage: Environment Agency)
Area of law
Environment and sustainability · Emissions and permits
Legal basis
Regulation 38(2) Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016
Action
Fine
Status of proceedings
unknown
Sector
Energy and utilities
Culpability
negligent
Mitigating circumstances
Around 38 million GBP invested in response and repair, and a voluntary payment of 250,000 GBP to Blackpool Council.
Published
8 Sep 2026

Original amount 964,225 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 8 Sep 2026.

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

Report an error

Anonymous: we store only your text — no contact details and no IP address.

23 Feb 2026 Yorkshire Water Services LimitedYorkshire Water: 733,333 GBP fine for repeated sewage discharges into park brook United KingdomEmissions and permits €839,630

Between October 2018 and August 2019, untreated sewage entered a brook in Pools Brook Country Park on three occasions – due to a burst rising main, a blockage caused by wet wipes and a failing pipe coupling; during the first incident, fish died in the park lake. Yorkshire Water had already pleaded guilty in January 2024 and had not attended any of the interviews; the court imposed a fine of 733,333 GBP plus costs.

What organisations can take from it

After a first incident, the cause at the site must be remedied permanently; repeated discharges from the same pipe lead to high fines.

Authority / court
Derby Crown Court (Anklage: Environment Agency)
Area of law
Environment and sustainability · Emissions and permits
Legal basis
Regulations 12(1)(b) und 38(1)(a) Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016
Action
Fine
Status of proceedings
unknown
Sector
Energy and utilities
Culpability
negligent
Repeat case
yes
Published
23 Feb 2026

Original amount 733,333 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 23 Feb 2026.

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

Report an error

Anonymous: we store only your text — no contact details and no IP address.

Ready for training that sticks?

Try it free for 14 days — from 1 user, no credit card, ends automatically.

Start free trial