The emphasis of environmental law is on the "Polluter pays". This means what it says - that the polluter, rather than the state or insurance companies, should pay for clean up costs. Companies will not only get fined, they are also hit for clean up costs, which can often be much greater.

The Environmental Agency (EA) was formed in April 1996 to combine the control of waste, water, and air law. Previously these areas of the environment were controlled separately.The combined enforcement and prosecution policy came into force on 1 November 1998

Post-Brexit, UK environmental law has shifted from EU oversight to a domestic framework, primarily governed by the Environment Act 2021 and the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act 2023. While initially adopting EU law ("assimilated law"), the UK is now diverging, with the EU passing stricter regulations on water, chemicals, soil and biodiversity that the UK has not adopted.