The consequences of environmental incidents or failing to comply with your environmental obligations are considerable and continue to increase. These include the possibility of a significant fine, a custodial sentence, loss of business and reputational damage.
We have many years’ experience helping organisations and individuals to manage and respond to a wide range of environmental incidents and pollution events, and advising in connection with investigations and enforcement action by the main UK environmental regulators.
Respected Expertise
Our areas of expertise include:
- environmental incident management, including Category 1 (Environmental Harm) pollution events
- investigations and prosecutions by the Environment Agency and Local Authorities involving suspected waste management offences and environmental permitting breaches
- civil sanctions, including Enforcement Undertaking Offers
- statutory Nuisance – Abatement Notice Appeals
- waste-related prosecutions involving confiscation proceedings brought under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
Trusted Advisors
We work with a variety of clients, including those in the rural, retail, mining, manufacturing, leisure and tourism, food and drink, construction, energy and waste sectors.
Examples of the work we do include:
- acting in connection with an investigation and prosecution arising from a release of chemicals into a major UK watercourse suspecting of causing Category 1 environmental harm
- advising in connection with investigations and prosecutions involving slurry tank failures, slurry run-off and fuel oil spillages
- successfully defending a construction company and its managing directors accused of having committed a number of serious waste management offences
- advising in connection with an investigation into a major city centre fire at an illegal waste facility
- helping a range of clients to prepare Enforcement Undertaking Offers that have been accepted by the Environment Agency and therefore avoid criminal enforcement action being taken
- successfully appealing a number of abatement notices alleging statutory nuisance involving noise, odour, vermin and dust/particulate
- successfully defending an energy company in connection with a private prosecution brought under s82 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 alleging a statutory noise nuisance
- representing a large UK organisation in connection with a multi-agency investigation into suspected non-permitted coastal defence works within a Site of Special Scientific Interest.