UK government sued for third time over illegal air pollution from diesels – The Guardian

‘Environmental lawyers are taking the government to the high court for a third time in a bid to remove “major flaws” from minister’s plans to tackle the UK’s illegal levels of air pollution.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 31st May 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Purdah: Government should obey the law in the run-up to an election – UK Human Rights Blog

‘Last November the judge decided that the UK’s air pollution plans under EU and domestic laws were not good enough. The case has a long, and unedifying back-story of Government not doing what the law says it should do.’

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 16th May 2017

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Government set to be taken back to court over air pollution plans – The Guardian

‘Environment lawyers are expected to take the government back to court over its controversial plans to tackle the UK’s air pollution crisis. They say the proposals are so weak they flout ministers’ obligation to protect public health.

Full story

The Guardian, 6th May 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Government rules out appealing air quality plan ruling – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Government has confirmed that it will not appeal last week’s High Court judgment which ordered it to produce its air quality plans by 9 May, it has been reported.’

Full story

Local Government Lawyer, 3rd May 2017

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

High court orders UK government to explain clean air plan delay – The Guardian

‘The government has been ordered back to the high court to explain its last-minute bid to delay publication of the UK’s clean air plan.’

Full story

The Guardian, 25th April 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Government given 21 days to explain climate change failures or face legal action – The Independent

Posted April 12th, 2017 in budgets, climate change, delay, energy, government departments, news, pollution by sally

‘Environmental lawyers at campaign group ClientEarth set deadline amid concern over repeated delays to publication of Government’s key plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.’

Full story

The Independent, 11th April 2017

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Thames Water fined £20m for sewage spill – BBC News

Posted March 23rd, 2017 in fines, news, pollution, sewerage, water companies by sally

‘Thames Water has been fined a record £20m after pumping nearly 1.5 billion litres of untreated sewage into the River Thames.’

Full story

BBC News, 22nd March 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

MPs launch unprecedented inquiry into air pollution amid Government delay and inaction – The Independent

‘In an unprecedented move, four House of Commons select committees are to investigate the state of air pollution in cities across the country.’

Full story

The Independent, 20th March 2017

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Thousands join UK legal case against VW over emissions scandal – The Guardian

‘More than 35,000 motorists have joined a class action lawsuit against VW in England and Wales over the emissions scandal.’

Full story

The Guardian, 20th March 2017

source: www.guardian.co.uk

Councils fail in bid to challenge decision over third runway at Heathrow – Local Government Lawyer

Posted January 31st, 2017 in airports, civil procedure rules, local government, news, planning, pollution by sally

‘A High Court judge has rejected a judicial review challenge brought by four local authorities over the Transport Secretary’s decision to back a third runway at Heathrow Airport.’

Full story

Local Government Lawyer, 30th January 2017

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Companies pay out more than £1.5m for breaking environment laws – The Guardian

Posted January 31st, 2017 in enforcement, environmental protection, fines, news, pollution by sally

‘More than £1.5m will go to projects that help wildlife and the environment as companies pay for breaking green laws, the Environment Agency has said.’

Full story

The Guardian, 30th January 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Southern Water fined record £2m for sewage leak on Kent beaches – The Guardian

Posted December 20th, 2016 in fines, news, pollution, sewerage, water companies by sally

‘Southern Water has been fined a record £2m for flooding beaches in Kent with raw sewage, leaving them closed to the public for nine days.’

Full story

The Guardian, 19th December 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

ASA bans ad to remove pollution filters from diesel cars – The Guardian

Posted December 14th, 2016 in advertising, environmental protection, news, pollution, road traffic by sally

‘The rogue practice of removing vital pollution filters from the exhausts of diesel vehicles has suffered a blow with the Advertising Standards Agency for the first time banning an advert for the service.’

Full story

The Guardian, 14th December 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Four councils formally launch legal action over Heathrow expansion – Local Government Lawyer

Posted December 12th, 2016 in airports, consultations, local government, news, pollution by sally

‘Four local authorities have formally served legal papers accusing the Government of unlawfully supporting the expansion of Heathrow.’

Full story

Local Government Lawyer, 12th December 2016

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

When the court should look over the shoulder of a decision-maker – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted November 25th, 2016 in EC law, environmental protection, judicial review, news, pollution by tracey

‘R (ClientEarth No.2) v Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, Garnham J, 21 November 2016. A quick follow-up ruling to the judgment of 2 November (here) in which the UK’s air pollution plans under EU and domestic laws were found wanting by the Administrative Court. The pollutant was nitrogen dioxide – a major product of vehicle exhaust fumes.’

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 23rd November 2016

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Council right to seek injunction against vegetable processing plant: judge – Local Government Lawyer

Posted November 8th, 2016 in costs, injunctions, local government, news, nuisance, pollution by sally

‘It was reasonable for a council to apply for an interim injunction against a company over allegations of a bad odour from its vegetable processing plant, a High Court judge has ruled.’

Full story

Local Government Lawyer, 3rd November 2016

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

High Court judge quashes DEFRA air quality plan over non-compliance – Local Government Lawyer

Posted November 7th, 2016 in environmental protection, news, pollution by sally

‘A High Court judge has this week quashed the Government’s Air Quality Plan 2015 over its failure to bring the UK into compliance with the law “as soon as possible”.’

Full story

Local Government Lawyer, 3rd November 2016

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

UK Government has breached air pollution laws and failed to take enough action on emissions, High Court rules – The Independent

‘The High Court has ruled against the Government over its failure to tackle illegal air pollution.’

Full story

The Independent, 2nd November 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Farm owners fined over ‘Stoulton Stink’ after council wins High Court appeal – Local Government Lawyer

Posted October 25th, 2016 in appeals, costs, fines, local government, news, pollution by michael

‘The owners of a farm responsible for a smell known as the “Stoulton Stink” have been sentenced this month, after a district council successfully appealed in the summer to the High Court.’

Full story

Local Government Lawyer, 24th October 2016

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Air quality law in the United Kingdom at a crossroads – OUP Blog

Posted October 3rd, 2016 in EC law, environmental protection, news, pollution by sally

‘UK air quality law now finds itself at a crossroads. Air quality law is a well-established area of environmental law, having been at the vanguard of much of it. It is a well-established area across multiple levels of governance, with local and national regulation in the UK operating against a backdrop of binding EU standards and an international law framework for transboundary air pollution (the 1979 Geneva Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP)). This multilevel body of law highlights that air pollution is a problem that has many sources – local, transboundary, stationary, mobile, manmade, natural – which act and interact via complex pollution pathways, leading to a range of regulatory responses within and beyond jurisdictional boundaries.’

Full story

OUP Blog, 3rd October 2016

Source: www.blog.oup.com