Do you care about your back-yard?

SEPA concerned over dwindling fines for environmental offences
Prosecutions instigated by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) led to average fines of just £2,511 in the financial year 2008/10 - only a third the level of comparable fines obtained by Environment Agency prosecutions.

Not to tell anyone what to do, but maybe you might want to have a word with your MSP and ask why the Scottish Courts fail to effectively punish convicted environmental criminals?

I know I will.

Maybe it is low level stuff with no major problems suffered in Scotland because SEPA are doing such a great job

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It is in truth not glory,nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting,but for freedom - for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with his life.(Declaration of Arbroath, 1320)

I can tell you from "very first hand experience" that SEPA have taken fewer cases this year compared to last, but that there is no evidence that the scale of environmental crime has diminished.

A double whammy - fewer cases and lower sentences!

SEPA are also cutting staff.SEPA should be looked on as the anglers friend,but that does not seem to be the case,and if their rumored2011 reservoir charges are true then .I doubt they'll have any friends in the angling world.
Twice last year I call them for small polution incidents.Both times I was left feeling short changed.

Jim

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The Fishermans Friend is the Flirty Fly,Fickle Food for Fleeting Fish.

Was reading in the press recently that there are going to be alot of staff cuts in the next few years, so if anything its only going to get worse (if thats possible). Also with regards to calling them regarding small scale polution incidents, I felt that they didnt seem to have enough staff to go out and see it when they should have.

SEPA and anglers should work together, but thats never going to happen, and thats all down to their doing as myself and fellow anglers have had problems with them. Anglers are out and about every day and will whitness alot more than what SEPA staff do, so you would think they would want them on there side.

Im on good terms with a sepa member of staff and I can tell you that moral is very low through out the whole organisation.
They are thin on the ground to cover every instance but they are more aware than you think about problems but they can only do a report and it is then up to their bosses.
I reported an oil spill incident last year and was told that no one would be able to check it until 9 am the next day this was early evening when reported , so there are definetely problems .

Unfortuneately they also generally work normal working hours, ie 9 till 5, with very few on standby, is a costs thing, so 9am next day is actually pretty good.

Excuse my ignorance but how are SEPA funded?

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I admit it, I have sharpness issues.

Governmental body, funded through national block grant from our masters in england

Ah, right. So, the next obvious question would be why don't they, the Scottish Parliament, introduce rod licences to supplement income and raise staffing numbers/ ability to act on pollution incidents?

I realise I'm being a bit simplistic here and I don't want to get embroiled in the why's and wherefore's but it seems that SEPA are being hobbled by lack of funding and it would seem reasonable from an anglers point of view to help fund an organisation that is there to help protect their fishery conditions. Who knows, maybe if that were to happen they may not have to introduce draconian and punitive charges on so called reservoirs and they may see anglers as partners in environmental protection.

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I admit it, I have sharpness issues.