FOI release

environmental permit (Discharges to Water and Groundwater) number NE/234/F/0393/001

This request was refused in full, so we didn't provide the information the requester asked for. This may include information where we can neither confirm nor deny that we hold it.

Case reference EIR2026/22564

Received 7 May 2026

Published 29 May 2026

Request

I would like to request environmental permit (Discharges to Water and Groundwater) number NE/234/F/0393/001 - NORTHUMBRIAN WATER LIMITED.

Response

I am writing in response to your request for information, received 7 May 2026, regarding environmental permit (Discharges to Water and Groundwater) number NE/234/F/0393/001.

We respond to requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI) and Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR).

Information not held

EIR Regulation 3(2) states that information is held if it is in our possession and has been produced or received by us, or it is held by another person on our behalf at the time the request is received.

Where a request is for environmental information, the Regulations allow us to refuse to disclose it if the exception at EIR Regulation 12(4)(a) applies. The regulation states that a public authority may refuse to disclose environmental information to the extent that it does not hold that information when an applicant’s request is received. 

In this case, the permit you have requested was revoked on 25 March 1991 and a copy is no longer held by the Environment Agency. Therefore, we are refusing your request on the grounds that there is no information we can provide.

It is not possible for us to conduct a public interest balancing test because the reason for non-disclosure is that the information is not held.

Rights of appeal

If you are not satisfied with our decision, you can contact us within two calendar months to ask for the decision to be reviewed. We will then conduct an internal review of our response to your request and give you our decision in writing within 40 working days.

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the internal review, you can then make an appeal to the Information Commissioner Office, the statutory regulator for the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Please follow this link to the ICO online complaints portal. The address is: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire. SK9 5AF.

Tel: 0303 123 1113 (local rate) or 01625 545 745 (national rate) | Fax: 01625 524 510 Email: icocasework@ico.org.uk | Website: www.ico.org.uk

Documents

There are no documents for this release.

This is Environment Agency's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.