This post is by Elizabeth Gardiner, chief executive of Protect.

As Belinda Gordon reported in her recent blog, the largest criminal investigation ever conducted by the Environment Agency led to  Southern Water being fined a record £90 million for 51 pollution offences over a five year period (2010-15).  What was striking was that these events were with corporate knowledge. This wasn’t accidental leaks or damage to sewage pumps, this was premeditated environmental damage. Yet, as with so many disaster stories whether in the public or private sector, someone, somewhere inside the organisation knew something was wrong, but were not heard.

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