…And the worst polluters

A record number of industrial sites across Scotland have been named and shamed by the government’s green watchdog for failing to curb pollution risks.The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has fingered 25 sites for their poor performances in 2007. They comprise 11 waste facilities, eight animal businesses, and six energy or manufacturing plants, including well-known companies such as Shanks, Ineos, ScottishPower and Lafarge.Many of the sites have broken environmental rules, leaked hazardous pollution or spread nasty smells. Some have been taken to court or been hit with legal enforcement action, while others have been guilty of management failures.For the fourth year in a row, Sepa has released details of its “operator performance assessments” for Scotland’s main industrial enterprises. The total number of sites officially rated as “unsatisfactory” for failing to properly manage pollution risks is the highest to date.While the number of sites assessed is rising, so is the proportion failing. In 2007, with 25 out of 313 sites declared unsatisfactory, the failure rate was 8%. This compares to 6% in 2006, when 17 of 277 sites failed.As many as 11 of the sites failing in 2007 were repeat offenders, with four having failed twice before. This has prompted calls for Sepa to consider closing down the worst offenders.”Companies that repeatedly fail these pollution assessments are a blot on Scotland’s green reputation – and so harm our economy,” said Duncan McLaren, chief executive of Friends of the Earth Scotland. Image source : sboisse.free.fr > Continue .

News selected by Covalence | Country: Scotland | Company: Shanks, Ineos, ScottishPower, Lafarge | Source: Sundayherald