Summary and Background Part 4: Marine Licensing Stop notices and emergency safety notices Section 102: Notice to stop activity causing serious harm etc
305.An enforcement authority may issue a notice to a person prohibiting the person from carrying on a licensable marine activity if that activity is causing or is likely to cause serious harm to the environment or to human health or is causing or is likely to cause serious interference with legitimate uses of the sea. Such a notice is called a stop notice.
306.An enforcement authority may issue a stop notice whether or not the person to whom it is issued has a marine licence or is operating in accordance with the conditions of the licence.
307.A stop notice must state the enforcement authority’s reasons for issuing the notice, the date and time that the activity must cease being carried out and any steps required by the enforcement authority to be carried out to ensure safe cessation.
308.A stop notice may only be in effect for up to seven days. A stop notice may be extended, but only up to a combined total period of 35 days. This limit does not apply where the activity is carried out without a marine licence. In such cases stop notices may remain in effect until a marine licence is granted for the activity in question.