Why don the Environment Agency prosecute the Waste Industry.?
I can’t speak for how Britain’s regulatory agencies operate but in the USA the Environmental Protection Agency sometimes finds itself in the position you describe. Congress enacted the overarching environmental legislation some time ago (Clean Water Act, etc.). They also empowered the EPA to promulgate rules to enforce these bits of legislation. Once these rules are proposed they go through an excruciatingly long litigation period where environmental groups and industry interests bicker back and forth until a final rule can be hammered out. Then comes the fun of actually promulgating the rule and enforcing it. As expected if there are infractions they tend to occur when a specific business or individual violates the rule. Occasionally, the EPA finds itself defending a polluting business or individual when their actions, no matter how environmentally distasteful, have not violated the rules. (Perhaps “defend” is not the best word. More likely the EPA will step back and wash their hands
