Property & Real Estate Barristers
Andrew Butler QC wins fight over Essex oil fire
16th March 2022
Andrew Butler QC has won a trial of issues of liability and causation in respect of a significant fire at an oil recycling site in Essex.
The claim concerned alleged negligence on the part of a co-occupier in relation to the placement of an Intermediate Bulk Container (IBC) full of used cooking oil. The IBC became involved in a fire which broke out on site overnight and, on Andrew’s clients’ case, caused the fire to spread significantly further, and cause much more damage, than would otherwise have been the case.
Despite hotly contested expert evidence, the Judge has upheld the claim.
A copy of the judgment can be found here; a link to a contemporaneous BBC report of the fire (which was also important evidence in the case) can be found here.