The Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2005

PART 5 Compensation

32.—(1) SEPA must compensate any person who has sustained loss or damage by reason of–

(a) the exercise by an authorised person of the powers in paragraphs 1, 2 or 16; or

(b) the failure of an authorised person to perform the duty imposed by paragraph 24,

unless the damage is attributable to the fault of the person who sustained it.

(2) SEPA must compensate any person for damage or destruction of an article or substance in exercise of powers under paragraph 11 where that article or substance was found not to have a significant adverse impact on the water environment.

(3) Any dispute as to a person’s entitlement to compensation under paragraph (1) or (2), or as to the amount of such compensation, is to be determined by a single arbiter appointed by agreement between SEPA and the person claiming damage, or in default of agreement, by the President of the Lands Tribunal for Scotland.

(4) An authorised person shall not be liable in any civil or criminal proceedings for anything done in purported exercise of any of the powers conferred on that person in accordance with regulation 27(4) if the court is satisfied that it was done in good faith and that there were reasonable grounds for doing it.