Welsh Water is also accountable for the poor quality of water in three United Kingdom (U.K.) rivers through sewage spills.
This is the latest development in a series of linked allegations from Leigh Day. The law firm says the extension follows a Supreme Court decision in July of 2024, which ruled that claims of sewerage nuisance can be brought against a water company.
The firm says it has communicated with Welsh Water, alleging that its sewage operations have exacerbated the pollution of the three rivers. As a consequence, issues over unpleasant odor, insect swarms, loss of biodiversity, frequent algal blooms, and poor water quality have been reported, according to Leigh Day.
In particular, the law firm argues that multiple discharges of untreated sewage discharges by Welsh Water have led to high levels of phosphorus and human fecal bacteria in the river water. Not only have these issues impacted the enjoyment of the rivers by local residents, but they are also damaging businesses in the area.
Law firm commits to holding all polluters to account
Based in the U.K., Leigh Day states it aims to hold to account in the legal action all of the corporations that it alleges are major polluters of the three rivers.
”We believe that the evidence points to Welsh Water as a major contributor to the pollution of the Wye, Usk and Lugg,” said Leigh Day partner Oliver Holland. “This legal action is not just about a single company or entity — it is about ensuring more widely that enough is being done to stop U.K. rivers and waterways from deteriorating.”
In early 2024, Leigh Day named three poultry companies as the primary defendants in its initial legal action. It alleged public and private nuisance and breaches of the Environmental Protection Act of 1990 by Avara Foods, Cargill Plc, and Freemans of Newent. All three have denied the allegations.
Leigh Day has previously stated that it expected the firms to engage with the substance of the claim, and work to avoid court proceedings being issued.
“However if they do not, our clients will be issuing court proceedings and looking to proceed with this claim through the High Court,” the law firm has previously said.
More on poultry companies involved in legal action
With annual slaughtering of 280 million birds — including chickens, turkeys, and ducks — Avara Foods is among the largest poultry companies in Europe, according to WATTPoultry.com’s Top Poultry Companies survey for 2023. The firm was founded in 2017 as a joint venture between Cargill and Faccenda Foods.
In its latest annual report (ended May 31, 2023), Avara Foods’ output was recorded as up to four million chickens per week, in addition to year-round and Christmas as turkeys. Its poultry business is fully vertically integrated from hatchery to processing, including feed milling, transport and logistics with a workforce of close to 6,500. For the difficult trading year, the firm reported an operating loss of GBP11.4 million (US414.2 million) on turnover of GBP1.51 billion.
Part of the global Cargill Group, Cargill Plc in the U.K. is a public limited company with headquarters near London. Its operations in the country cover commodity trading and the processing and distribution of foodstuffs.
For the last financial year (ended May 31, 2024), Cargill Plc reported operating profit of almost GBP40.4 million. This was generated on turnover of GBP1.163 billion, 74% of which was in the U.K., and the balance in other European countries.
During that period, Cargill reported the liquidation of Freemans of Newent (Holdings) Ltd.
