United Kingdom · guide · 28 September 2026
Reading sealed surface and drainage findings on a CAR
Permits often require sealed surfaces, bunded storage, and drainage routes that keep polluting liquids on site. When officers inspect, gaps may appear as CAR rows about cracked hardstanding, blocked channels, or inadequate containment under IBC stores — separate from stack-height or waste-acceptance breaches. This guide helps you read that wording on the published form.
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Where drainage findings sit on the CAR
Assessed areas may include:
- Site infrastructure / drainage
- Pollution prevention / containment — overlap with pollution incident response findings
- Fire prevention plan storage — separation distances — fire prevention plan findings
Each row should cite a permit condition — linking CAR findings to permit conditions.
Common breach descriptions
| CAR wording pattern | Plain-English reading |
|---|---|
| Sealed surface damaged / cracked | Hardstanding no longer meets containment expectation |
| Drainage channel blocked | Run-off routing failure |
| Bund capacity inadequate | Secondary containment below stored volume cited |
| Surface water commingled with process areas | Clean/dirty routing mix-up |
| Inspection chambers not accessible | Maintenance / monitoring breach |
Sealed surface vs leachate rows
Leachate management findings target collection systems within waste deposits. Sealed surface rows target hardstanding and site drainage under tanks, bays, and loading areas. A single inspection may print both — read each non-compliance line separately.
Scoring and band impact
Categories print on the CAR form — often foreseeable impact unless pollution reached watercourses. See C2, C3, and what CCS scores mean. Fee context: can scores increase fees.
Response actions
Officers list actions required and deadlines — CAR response deadlines. CARBrief organises those lines; we do not design civil engineering fixes or represent you in enforcement — see what happens after a CAR.
Questions
What counts as a sealed surface breach on a CAR?
Cracked impermeable surfaces, inadequate containment under storage areas, blocked channels, or drainage routes that could allow polluting liquids to leave the permitted area when the CAR cites relevant permit conditions.
How is this different from leachate findings?
Leachate rows focus on liquid generated within waste masses and collection systems. Sealed surface and drainage rows focus on site hardstanding, bunds, and surface water routing — though both may appear on landfill and transfer sites.
Will CARBrief design drainage upgrades?
No. CARBrief reads published CAR wording. Engineering design is outside our product.
See the sample page Order a brief
Start: how to read a CAR. All guides: /guides/.