BUSINESSES responsible for causing damage to the environment can now be forced to foot the bill for their actions.

New rules governing who should pay up in cases of pollution are now in force – and they make the position of companies’ liability in such instances much clearer.

BiB Insurance, of Darlington, is urging businesses to ensure they have appropriate insurance cover is in place.

The Environmental Damage Regulations, which follow on from a European directive, are based on the principle that “the polluter pays”.

Firms involved in activities that lead to environmental damage will have to meet the cost of work to remedy the situation.

Under the regulations, damage to the environment covers a wide range of scenarios, such as contamination of land where there is a serious risk to human health, discharges to water and negative impacts on wildlife habitats and protected species.

As well as setting out the polluter pays approach, the regulations also outline how companies must take action to prevent pollution before it occurs and have strict procedures in place to report incidents.

Brian Jackson, BiB director, said: “These new regulations set out quite clearly what is expected of businesses and the action that they will be subject to should they be guilty of damaging the environment.

“If they are, the consequences could be anything from paying out compensation to ensuring that habitats or waterways are restored to the way they were before.

“There is now strict liability for pollution in many situations and the regulations are designed for action to be taken swiftly, whereas previously there may have been lengthy waits for prosecutions.”

For more details, contact BiB Insurance on 01325-353888.