Who should I contact about an environmental issue?

• Your local authority
• Your local police

Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA):

• Identifying and controlling endemic and exotic diseases and pests in animal, plants, and bees
• Surveillance of new diseases 
• Protecting endangered wildlife
• Regulating the safe disposal of animal by-product

• Your local authority

• Development consent: Crown Estate Scotland
• Navigational consent: Scottish Government
• Fish health: Fish Health Inspectorate (part of Fisheries Research Service)
• Assuring the safety, quality, and effectiveness of veterinary medicine: Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD licences chemicals for marine use generally. SEPA issues site-specific permits.)
• Planning permissions: Your local authority
• Pollution form vessels: Maritime and Coastguard Agency
• Issues relating to the handling of fish mortalities: Your local authority
• Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA)

• Litter, public health, and facilities: Your local authority

• Scottish Canals

• Shipping and offshore installations: Maritime and Coastguard Agency
• Offshore installations: Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)

• Your local authority

• Including Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Special Areas of Conservation): Nature Scot

• Identifying and assessing sites: Your local authority (SEPA may provide information and advice on the water environment if requested).
• Arranging for sites to be cleaned up: Your local authority

• Your local authority

• Public supplies: Scottish Water
• Checking private supplies: Your local authority
• Quality: Drinking water quality regulator

• Environment Agency

• Northern Ireland Environment Agency

• Natural Resources Wales

• Clears and repair watercourses: Your local authority
• Plans, implements, builds, and maintains flood protections measures: Your local authority
• Drainage of public highways and local roads: Your local authority
• Local Flood Risk Management Plans: Your local authority
• May provide property flood protection but have no responsibility to do do: Your local authority
• Overflowing or blocked sewers: Scottish Water

• Reporting: Your local authority
• Cleaning up: Your local authority or the occupier/landowner if private land.
• For more information on SEPAs remit see SEPAs webpage on fly tipping.

• Your local authority

• Food Standards Scotland

• Policy, support, and regulation: Scottish Forestry
• Managing Scotland's national forests and land: Forestry and Land Scotland

• National Grid

• Scottish Government

• Department of Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs

• Scottish Government

• Your local authority (SEPA works with harbour authorities to investigate pollution from onshore sources. SEPA also regulates many of the activities carried out within harbour areas.)

• Historic Environment Scotland

• Your local authority

• Your local authority

• National Parks

• Your local authority

• Your local authority (except for noise from sites, or parts of sites, that have a Part A Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC) permit from SEPA).

• Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)

• Scottish Government

• Your local authority

• Your local authority

Responsibility for worker safety in relation to radioactive substances at premises other than at a nuclear licensed site: Health and Safety Executive

For all of the following contact Office of Nuclear Regulation (ONR):

• Any activity involving radioactivity material carried on by the licensee at a nuclear licenced site.
• Transport of radioactive material or waste.
• Responsible for safety at nuclear licensed sites.

• Your local authority
• Your local police

COMAH - Control of Major Accident Hazards.

• SEPA, together with the Health and Safety Executive

• Emptying: Scottish Water (some private businesses also offer this service)
• Odour: Your local authority

• Maritime and Coastguard Agency - Air pollution, sewage and garbage discharge from ships, shipwrecks, pollution from ships at sea.

• Your local authority (except for problems from sites, or parts of sites, regulated by SEPA)

• Your local authority (except for problems from sites, or parts of sites, regulated by SEPA)

• Scottish Government

• Scottish Water

• Collection: Your local authority
• Your area waste plan: Your local authority

See separate listings above for:

• Aquaculture
• Beaches and bathing water
• Canals
• Coastal pollution/protection
• Drinking water
• Flooding
• Harbour pollution
• Septic tanks/sewage
• Shipping