CWA WELCOMES GOVERNMENT’S NEW ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION
13/07/2023
The Car Wash Association (CWA) welcomes the Government’s recent announcement of new legislation to tackle environment offences under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016.
Gordon Balmer, Executive Director of the CWA, said:
“We acknowledge the importance of measures that ensure polluters are held accountable and safeguard the environment. However, this legislation must be accompanied by enforcement.
“The CWA has been a longstanding supporter of the Responsible Car Wash Scheme (RCWS), a voluntary audit scheme designed to tackle non-compliant hand car washes that has faced challenges in gaining full support from the Government.
“We strongly urge the Government to prioritise enforcement measures to ensure the success of this legislation in protecting our natural environment.”
Balmer concluded:
“The CWA will continue encouraging the Government to enforce environmental standards in the car wash sector. It is imperative that the Government and water companies fulfil their obligations to enforce these measures effectively.”
NOTES FOR EDITORS
- Those that pollute the environment will face unlimited penalties under new legislation announced today by the government (Wednesday 12 July). The current limit of £250,000 on variable monetary penalties that the Environment Agency and Natural England can impose directly on operators will be lifted, following a government consultation which received widespread public support. Nottingham Trent University estimate that there are 6,000 non-compliant Hand Car Washes in the country many of which do not comply with environmental regulation and cause pollution in the process.
About Car Wash Association
The Car Wash Association was originally established in 2007 by wash operators and industry suppliers and is now officially incorporated as part of the Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMI).