‘You need persistence’: the Norfolk couple who took on environmental regulators three times – and won
A Norfolk couple, Tim and Geli Harris, successfully sued environmental regulators for failing to protect a rare wetland from agricultural pollution. The High Court ruling marks their third legal victory in a decade-long effort to hold government agencies accountable.
Why it matters
This case sets a significant legal precedent for the enforcement of environmental protections and the accountability of government conservation watchdogs.
When they bought their 460-acre farm about 30 years ago, the Harrises converted arable fields to pasture. When they bought their 460-acre farm about 30 years ago, the Harrises converted arable fields to pasture. Wetlands ‘You need persistence’: the Norfolk couple who took on environmental regulators three times – and won Tim and Geli Harris have spent more than a decade fighting to protect Catfield Fen, a rare wetland in the Norfolk Broads
Patrick Barkham Sat 24 Oct 2026 08.00 BST Share Prefer the Guardian on Google P olluters and regulators who fail to stop pollution must quake in their boots when they receive a letter from the lawyers for Tim and Geli Harris. The couple, who farm 460 acres in the Norfolk Broads, have now scored a hat-trick of landmark legal victories to save an internationally important wetland after they won again in the high court this month.
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