Regulatory

Environmental enforcement

Six Pump Court is highly regarded as a specialist chambers in environmental regulation, due to the recognised knowledge and abilities of its regulatory team. Led by Stephen Hockman KC, our team has the depth and expertise necessary to handle any and all environmental cases, whether that be coherent, clear advice during the early stages of a criminal investigations, outstanding skilled advocacy in Court or tactical intelligent representation in judicial review proceedings.

Members of chambers routinely provide lectures and training to both solicitors and regulators, on such topics as “advising private equity on environmental liabilities”, “end of waste” and “the practical application of the new Definitive Environmental Sentencing Guideline”. We are contributors to Burnett Hall on Environmental Law and have no less than 12 members appointed to the Attorney General’s List of Specialist Regulatory Advocates, more than any other set of chambers.

For a list of our most recent seminar topics on environmental enforcement, please click here.

For details of our Planning Enforcement work please click here.

  • Waste (including hazardous waste)

    Recent cases include:

    R (Environment Agency) v Walker & Son (Hauliers) Ltd [2014] EWCA Crim 100
    Instructed for the Environment Agency as Prosecutor in an appeal against conviction to the Court of Appeal Criminal Division, which determined that it is no defence for a landowner to state that he genuinely believed an environmental permit legitimising the operations on site existed.

    Environment Agency v Churngold Recycling Ltd [2014] EWCA Civ 909
    Civil claim arising out of the exercise by the Environment Agency of its powers of search and seizure against a business known as Churngold. Successfully argued in the Court of Appeal that the challenge to the environment agency’s use of its powers was unfounded. The case is a leading authority on the tort of conversion.

    R (Environment Agency) v Bloom (Plant) Ltd & Others
    Prosecution of several companies and individuals for numerous offences concerning multiple illegal waste sites across the Midlands region. The allegations included the mishandling and storage of asbestos waste generated from construction and demolition and repeated failures to follow environmental regulations.

    R (Environment Agency) v Romani & Hire It Ltd
    Representing defendant landowner and company in relation to deposit of vast quantity of waste on residential land. Secured acquittals for both defendants at trial following submissions in relation to the application of the Non-Waste Framework Directive exempt activities.

    R (Environment Agency & HSE) v Alsagar Contractors
    Significant joint EA and HSE investigation and environmental permit revocation appeal concerning the treatment of asbestos waste in waste transfer stations, where members of chambers acted both for the regulators and for the appellant company, . This case has already changed the way these waste transfer stations operate with regards to asbestos and successfully revoked the permit for the EA to operate their waste transfer stations and required all of their sites to be cleaned up.

    Environment Agency v Land Network Ltd & another
    Members of chambers represented the prosecution and both defendant companies in a large scale hazardous waste case concerning the deposit of waste on land for remediation.

    R v Greenwood and Others
    Members of chambers both prosecuted and defended in a multi-defendant prosecution concerning the illegal storage and treatment of hazardous wastes at various sites on Teesside.

Testimonials

Six Pump Court is ‘the best regulatory chambers in the UK and remains the professionals’ choice’.

Members continue to be at the forefront of Supreme Court and Court of Appeal cases and also act for major developers, waste industry clients and regulators, as well as appearing on Attorney General’s lists.

― Legal 500 2017 (Tier 1 – Environment)

Blog

31st October 2023

Environmental Law News Update

In the latest Environmental Law News Update, Peter Cruickshank and Jemima Lovatt discuss nutrient neutrality causing a so called 'Ban On Building' and also the courts view Scope 3 emissions.

31st May 2023

Environmental Law News Update

Jemima Lovatt considers the latest rejection of a non-regression clause by the Commons, an investigation launched by the OEP into ammonia advice in Northern Ireland and a new biodiversity duty for public authorities in England.