Leigh Day environment team to host Communities and Contamination event in Leeds on PFAS pollution

Law firm Leigh Day is set to host a panel event in Leeds discussing PFAS pollution and other contamination issues affecting communities in the UK and across Europe.

The 2 October 2025 event will bring together leading academics, NGOs, lawyers, environmental experts and community voices to explore the scope of the issue, and how those impacted can take action. 

Leigh Day is known nationally for its environment work representing clients in a wide range of pollution claims, including large group actions, international claims and public law cases.

Two panel events will take place looking into how and why contamination is occurring, and what communities can do to combat it.

The event will be introduced and chaired by Leigh Day partner Sarah Moore and senior solicitor Charlotte Armstrong.

The first panel on contamination will feature Dr Anna Watson, director of policy and advocacy at ChemTrust; Professor Alistair Boxall, professor in environmental science at York University; and Pippa Neill, news editor at ENDS Report.

The second panel will cover communities and feature Nienke Blauw, an affected resident and activist from the Netherlands; Tim Cooke-Hurle, barrister at Doughty Street chambers; and Dr Roxanna Willis, assistant professor of law at the London School of Economics.

The event will conclude with a keynote speech from Professor Tony Fletcher, associate professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Attendees will then have a chance to network and share learnings on contamination issues.

The event is free to attend and will take place in Leeds city centre. Those interested in attending can register via this link.

Leigh Day lawyers Sarah Moore and Charlotte Armstrong are both investigating PFAS claims in locations across the UK.

This includes Thornton-Cleveleys, where there are concerns after PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid - part of the PFAS chemical family) was found in soil near a chemical factory site.

Leigh Day currently acts in a number of pollution cases across its international group claim and environment departments. These include water pollution claims in the River Wye region and Exmouth, as well as international claims against companies such as Shell and Anglo American over allegations respectively involving oil spills and pollution from lead mines.

The firm also represented Sarah Finch in the landmark Supreme Court judgment last year, which has seen stricter assessments of greenhouse gas emissions enforced for planned fossil fuel developments in the UK.

Sarah Moore said:

“We are excited to be bringing together a great variety of expertise at our event examining pollution from PFAS and other contaminants. Chemical contamination is a present and active problem in communities across the UK and beyond. This event will offer the chance to explore why this kind of pollution is occurring, and what communities can do to take action.”