{{unreferenced section|date=July 2018}}{{See also|Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution}}▼
In the 1840s, the United Kingdom brought onto the statute booksenacted legislation to control water pollution, andwhich was strengthened in 1876 in the '''Rivers Pollution Prevention Act.'''<ref name="Hansard">{{cite web|url= https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1961/jul/03/rivers-prevention-of-pollution-bill|publisher=Hansard|access-date=4 September 2020|title=RIVERS (PREVENTION OF POLLUTION) BILL|date=July 1961}}</ref> andThe law was subsequently extended to all freshwaters in the '''R iversRivers (Prevention of Pollution) Act 1951''' and applied to coastal waters by the ''' Rivers (Prevention of Pollution) Act 1961.'''<ref name="Hansard"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Eliz2/9-10/50|publisher= HM Government|title=Rivers (Prevention of Pollution) Act 196|date=27 July 1961}}</ref>
The '''Environmental Protection Act of 1990''' established the system of Integrated Pollution Control (IPC). Currently,{{when|date=July 2018},} the cleanup of historic contamination is controlled under a specific statutory scheme found in Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1996 (Part IIA), as inserted by the Environment Act 1995, and other ‘rules’rules found in regulations and statutory guidance. The Act came into force in England in April 2000.
Within the current{{when|date=July 2018}} regulatory framework, Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC) is a regime for controlling pollution from certain designated industrial activities. The regime introduces the concept of Best Available Techniques (BAT) to environmental regulations. Operators must use the BAT to control pollution from their industrial activities to prevent, and where that is not practicable, to reduce to acceptable levels, pollution to air, land and water from industrial activities. The Best Available Techniques also aim to balance the cost to the operator against the benefits to the environment.
The system of Pollution Prevention and Control is replacing that of IPC and has been taking effect between 2000 and 2007. The Pollution Prevention and Control regime implements the European Directive (EC/96/61) on integrated pollution prevention and control.
▲{{unreferenced section|date=July 2018}}{{See also|Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution}}
