Government fails to implement polluter should pay law - Huhne

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 27th Apr 2007

The UK Government faces being taken to the European Court for failing to implement key new EU rules - to which it agreed - that will make polluters pay to clear up the results of their activities.

The European Commission said today that countries which fail to introduce the measures could very soon face legal action.

Commenting on the UK Government's failure, Liberal Democrat Shadow Environment Secretary, Chris Huhne MP said:

"The British Government agreed to the European Union's environmental liability directive as an important step in ensuring that polluters are held to account for major incidents.

"This is another example of ministers taking their eyes off the ball. Italy, Lithuania and Latvia have already implemented this directive, but we have not.

"There is no serious sign of us implementing the rules, even though it was meant to be put into UK law by 30th April.

"I have put down parliamentary questions asking when ministers now intend to bring the directive into force in the UK and give us the environmental protection that others already enjoy."