ESG Enforcement Tracker

Key facts:

The Environment Agency has successfully prosecuted East Midlands Airport after repeated breaches of its environmental permit relating to surface water discharges from the airport site near Nottingham.

Between 14 January and 4 February 2022, East Midlands Airport exceeded the permitted limits for Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) on three occasions. BOD is a measure of organic pollution and is used to assess the potential impact of discharges on water quality. The discharges, which contained residues of aircraft and runway de-icing fluids, risked long-term deterioration in water quality and damage to local watercourses.

At Derby Crown Court on 28 July 2025, the company pleaded guilty to three offences under the Environmental Permitting (England & Wales) Regulations 2016, contrary to Regulation 38(2). It was fined a total of £892,500 (£297,500 per offence) and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £65,687.54.

The court heard that East Midlands Airport had a history of poor compliance, with 13 previous permit breaches since 2006 resulting in 10 written warnings. The offences in this case followed monitoring by Environment Agency officers, who identified significant breaches of the site’s permit conditions.

In mitigation, the company pointed to changes in management since 2022 and emphasised that it had worked closely with the regulator to improve its compliance processes. The Environment Agency nonetheless welcomed the sentence, highlighting that the conditions of environmental permits are designed to protect both people and the environment.