Renowned for there expertise in Environmental Crime members of the team have particular experience of the specialist area of criminal environmental enforcement and receive instructions in a wide range of complex and large-scale investigations.
These include cases involving:
- Illicit chemical composting
- The defrauding of waste producers by bogus operators
- Water course pollution and
- Excessive storage leading to serious fires
Having 16 members on the Specialist Regulatory Panel (the largest number outside London) the team undertakes ever more serious work on behalf of the EA, local authorities and nationwide utility providers as well as representing defendant companies.
Currently, Simon Clegg prosecutes & Craig Hassall QC defends in a case involving the alleged failure to store combustible waste correctly, acceptance of unauthorised waste, storing in excess of 350 tonnes of non-inert waste & failing to monitor odorous emissions.
Richard Wright Q.C. recently represented a defendant who alleged that the EA had acted maliciously in their enforcement of the Regulations and subsequently in the prosecution. The case involved charges of breaching a waste management permit as well as non-compliance with an enforcement notice. (Illegal dumping thousands of tonnes of waste where rubbish was piled 27ft (8.2m) high).
Craig Hassall recently advised in a case where a developer destroyed the endangered habitat of water voles and is currently advising a defendant company (pre charge) in relation to the misrepresentation of waste. He is also providing pre charge advice to a company facing prosecution for the misrepresentation of waste under Environmental Permitting regulations.
Simon Clegg is currently engaged on a number of large scale investigations and was instructed in one of the biggest and complex investigations ever prosecuted by the Environment agency which has lasted nearly 3 years.
In addition to EA prosecutions members of the team also prosecute on behalf of utility providers such as Yorkshire Water for offences such as the illegal use of standpipes in contravention of the Water Industry Act 1991 and regularly appear on behalf of local authorities for prosecutions arising out of breaches of the Environmental Protection Act 1990
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