Landowners Tim and Geli Harris have been campaigning since 2008 to protect the rare habitats in the fen, which forms part of the Ant Broads and Marshes site of special scientific interest (SSSI) and the wider Broads special area of conservation (SAC).

In September 2022, after a 14-year legal battle costing £1m, they won a landmark legal case against the Environment Agency, which had major implications for agricultural water abstraction licences in the area.

Mr Harris brought his latest judicial review in July 2025, claiming that Natural England (NE) had failed to stop pollution running onto the fen from neighbouring farmland.

Now the High Court has ruled that steps taken by NE were not sufficient to meet its statutory duties under the Habitats Directive.

In a judgement handed down on October 9, Judge Nathalie Lieven acknowledged that regulatory bodies can sometimes meet their duties by merely investigating........

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