United Kingdom · guide · 29 September 2026
Reading emissions monitoring findings on a CAR
Stack tests, continuous emissions monitoring, abatement plant logs and annual returns feed into permit compliance. When officers inspect, gaps may print as CAR rows about missed monitoring, invalid calibration, or limit exceedances — separate from odour or dust rows. This guide helps operators read that wording on the published form.
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Where emissions rows sit on the CAR
Assessed areas may include:
- Emissions to air / point source monitoring
- Monitoring, reporting and data management — overlap with monitoring data findings
- Abatement plant / APC equipment
Each row should cite permit conditions — linking CAR findings to permit conditions, how to read a permit.
Common breach descriptions
| CAR wording pattern | Plain-English reading |
|---|---|
| Stack test not undertaken within interval | Scheduled monitoring missed |
| CEMS out of calibration | Continuous monitor unreliable |
| Reported exceedance of ELV | Emission limit value breach cited |
| Annual emissions return late | Reporting breach |
| Abatement plant not operated as permitted | Control equipment availability |
Emissions vs odour/dust rows
Odour, dust and noise findings often describe neighbour nuisance pathways. Emissions monitoring rows focus on permit limit compliance and measurement systems. One inspection may include both — read each non-compliance line separately.
Scoring and follow-up
Categories print on the form — see C2, C3, what CCS scores mean. Actions and deadlines: CAR response deadlines. After the CAR: what happens after a CAR.
What CARBrief does not do
We do not design abatement upgrades, run stack tests, or advise on enforcement appeals — see enforcement notice vs CAR. Operators hold monitoring evidence — what evidence to keep.
Questions
Where do emissions breaches appear on a CAR?
Under assessed areas such as emissions to air, monitoring and reporting, or abatement plant. Each row should cite permit conditions — open the linked schedule on the public register.
Is a monitoring failure the same as an exceedance?
The CAR may record both: missed stack tests, broken analysers, or reported limit exceedances. Read each non-compliance line separately and note the condition number cited.
Will CARBrief design abatement upgrades?
No. CARBrief reads published CAR wording. Engineering design and permit variation are outside our product — see when to vary your permit.