Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is Scotland’s environmental regulator. Their main role is to protect and improve the environment. They do this by being an excellent environmental regulator, helping business and industry to understand their environmental responsibilities, enabling customers to comply with legislation and good practice and to realise the many economic benefits of good environmental practice.

SEPA protects communities by regulating activities that can cause harmful pollution and by monitoring the quality of Scotland's air, land and water. The regulations they implement also cover the keeping and use, and the accumulation and disposal, of radioactive substances. They are also responsible for delivering Scotland's flood warning system, helping to implement Scotland's National Waste Strategy and controlling, with the Health and Safety Executive, the risk of major accidents at industrial sites. SEPA protects the environment and human health through the work of its 1,300 employees who cover a range of specialist areas including chemistry, ecology, environmental regulation, hydrology, engineering, quality control, planning, communications, business support and management functions. Its 22 offices enable them to work across the whole of Scotland from the Highlands and Islands to the Borders and their corporate office is in Stirling.