Yorkshire Water has paid a record £1 million to charities after polluting a Harrogate watercourse, following an investigation by the Environment Agency.

Environment Secretary Ranil Jayawardena MP has announced that he will bring forward proposals to raise the civil penalty for water companies who pollute the environment by 1,000-fold - from £250,000 to up to £250 million.

The House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) today argues that there is no reason for any further delay to the roll-out of the Government’s Environmental Principles, which are intended to be binding on policymakers across many areas of central government.