dataset · England
Environmental Pollution Incidents (Category 1 and 2)
Environmental Pollution Incident data filtered for Categories 1 and 2. Details of environmental incidents within the remit of the Environment Agency are held on the National Incident Recording System (NIRS2). This dataset only includes substantiated completed and closed Environment Management incidents (predominantly pollution), where the environment impact level is either category 1 (major) or category 2 (significant) to at least 1 media (i.e. water, land or air). It is updated quarterly and pr
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Licence: ["Conditions:\n1. Notwithstanding the fact that the standard wording of the Environment Agency Conditional Licence indicates that it is perpetual, this Licence has a limited duration of one year at th
Evidence quality: 60.1
Listed in data.gov.uk public catalogue API on 2026-10-16; relevance/value screened (haiku).
Metadata checked: 2026-10-14T13:20:00.000Z
What's in it
- Data offered docs-verified
- Environment Agency substantiated, completed and closed pollution incidents (predominantly pollution) at category 1 (major) or category 2 (significant) impact to at least one medium (water, land or air)
- Coverage llm-inferred
- England (Environment Agency remit); extent latitude 49.943 to 55.816, longitude -6.236 to 2.072 · Not stated. Metadata gives dataset reference date (creation) 2001-03-01 and revision 2026-10-09
- Update frequency docs-verified
- quarterly
- Formats docs-verified
- ZIP
- Access docs-verified
- Download via data.gov.uk. Licensed under the Environment Agency Conditional Licence, which has a limited duration of one year and terminates automatically. Conditions apply to personal data. No authentication stated. Price not stated.
Useful for
- Use cases llm-inferred
- Screen a site or catchment for past major or significant EA pollution incidents during due diligence or contaminated land desk studies · Add incident history to water quality baseline context for EIA or Water Framework Directory receptor assessments · Support drainage or civils risk reviews by identifying nearby historic pollution events that may affect permitting or construction
- Audience llm-inferred
- environmental consultants · hydrologists · water quality scientists · contaminated land specialists · EIA and planning consultants · due diligence analysts
Limitations
- Constraints docs-verified
- Only category 1 (major) and category 2 (significant) incidents are included; lower-impact incidents are excluded · Recent incidents may be missing because of recording lag · Records may change after final QA and as further information becomes available · Incident locations do not imply that the site or property owner was responsible · Licence is time-limited to one year and carries personal data compliance conditions · Snapshot of NIRS2 data updated quarterly, not real time
Evidence
- https://environment.data.gov.uk/api/file/download?fileDataSetId=a5a11813-517a-478b-be89-4acdf2c1f105&fileName=Environmental Pollution Incidents (Category 1 and 2).zip
- https://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/c8625e18-c329-4032-b4c7-444b33af6780/environmental-pollution-incidents-category-1-and-21
Check upstream coverage, uncertainty and licence before use. Station observations are not forecasts or design levels.