There are several court cases and appeals that have examined the role of common law and statutory mechanisms available for the remediation of contaminated land in the UK. The most notable cases are:

-R v Environment Agency, ex p. National Rivers Authority [1995] 2 All ER 987

-R v Environment Agency, ex p. Mersey Docks and Harbour Company [1995] 4 All ER 769

-R v Environment Agency, ex p. Shell UK Ltd [1995] 3 All ER 97

-R v Environment Agency, ex p. British Petroleum plc [1995] 3 All ER 1

-R v Environment Agency, ex p. ICI plc [1995] 3 All ER 209

-R v Environment Agency, ex p. British Gas plc [1995] 3 All ER 225

-R v Environment Agency, ex p. British Steel plc [1995] 3 All ER 241

-R v Environment Agency, ex p. Vauxhall Motors Ltd [1995] 3 All ER 257 explained