Water & utilities

Overview

Six Pump Court Chambers is renowned for its very broad and deep expertise and experience across the entire range of public and private law issues involving water and the water industry, including:

• regulatory prosecution and defence work
• civil claims in trespass and nuisance arising from unauthorised and/or polluted discharges of water or sewage
• public and private law claims relating to flooding of land and properties by either water or sewage
• flood defence issues
• land drainage issues
• planning issues concerning the supply of water or sewerage services, flooding and protection of aqueous habitats
• water resources and abstraction licensing issues
• statutory appeals concerning the grant or conditions of environmental permits and trade effluent consents and their suspension or revocation
• statutory charging schemes
• the constitutional structure of the industry, such as reorganisation of internal drainage boards, harbour revision orders and disputes over undertakers’ duties and areas of supply or terms of appointment
• navigation and mooring rights
• structures over, in or under water such as bridges, weirs, sluices and fish passes
• private water rights

Members of Chambers act for and against regulators (including the Environment Agency, National Resources Wales and Ofwat), NGOs, water undertakers, sewerage undertakers, internal drainage boards, local authorities, commercial companies and landowners.

Members have appeared in water cases, including many of significance, before courts and other tribunals at all levels from planning inspectors and magistrates courts to the Supreme Court and the Court of Justice of the European Union and have advised both domestically and internationally.

Chambers also regularly receives instructions to provide advice and/or representation in similar disputes concerning other utilities including electricity and gas and has members familiar with the applicable statutory regimes.