EA to hand over pollution monitoring

Has The Environment Agency gone crazy ?
If they do that then the risk of pollution and the masking of it will in my opinion be High, High, HIGH!!!!
DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN!!!

Absolute bloody madness.

And probably ultra vires.... I don't see how an agency statutorily entrusted with the duty to monitor and regulate can discharge that duty by delegation to the subject of that monitoring. I can feel a judicial review coming on if they aren't careful.

Oh, and if the EA do save million£ by divesting themselves of these onerous and costly duties does that mean that they will accordingly reduce the sum of their request to the Treasury for tax funding £ for £ in reflection of those savings ?

I can remeber the whole reason for setting up the EA (or NRA as it was then) - to catch out lying water authorities! If it was a good idea then (and it was) why isn't it now? One word. Cost. The EA would prefer to do things that mean they don't have to leave the office or have too big a fleet of vans.

Mind you, I think it would be a good idea to introduce this to traffic policing. Just hand over the control to us, the motorists, and when we run a speed camera, we'll just stop and put £30 in an honour box by the side of the road. This will eliminate the need for pesky paperwork. Think of the saving!