Tate & Lyle Industries Ltd. v. GLC & others - House of Lords (Lord Diplock, Lord Keith, Lord Roskill, Lord Bridge and Lord Templeman) - 24 March 1983

GLC liable for siltation damages

For many years Tate & Lyle had operated a sugar refinery on the north bank of the Thames up-stream of the Woolwich ferry. In 1922 the Port of London Authority (PLA) authorised Tate & Lyle to construct a jetty, known as the refined sugar jetty, adjacent to their refinery. The depth of the water between the main shipping channel in the Thames and the site of the refined sugar jetty enabled small vessels to come alongside the jetty and to load refined sugar for export. The raw sugar for refining was unloaded from larger vessels at a new jetty constructed in about 1965. In order for the raw sugar vessels to reach this jetty a berth had been dredged six feet below main channel depth. In accordance with the Port of London (Consolidation) Act 1920, the PLA had authorised Tate & Lyle to construct this jetty and to carry out the necessary dredging.