Rylands v Fletcher CASES

October 5, 2025

National Case Law Archive

Lady justice next to law books

Transco plc v Stockport MBC [2003] UKHL 61

A council water pipe burst, damaging Transco's gas main. Transco sued under the strict liability rule in Rylands v Fletcher. The House of Lords held the council was not liable, as supplying water through ordinary pipes was a natural, not a non-natural, use of land. Facts The respondent, Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council, owned a 22-storey block of flats. They were responsible for a large high-pressure pipe which supplied water from the mains to storage tanks in the building. A fracture occurred in this pipe, which was located in the basement of the flats. The leak was not detected for a

October 3, 2025

National Case Law Archive

Lady justice next to law books

Stannard (t/a Wyvern Tyres) v Gore [2012] EWCA Civ 1248

A fire caused by faulty wiring at a tyre-fitting business spread to an adjoining property. The defendant was not held strictly liable under Rylands v Fletcher because the items brought onto the land (tyres) did not themselves escape, only the fire did. Facts The defendant, Mr Stannard, operated a tyre-fitting business, Wyvern Tyres, from a unit on a trading estate. In February 2008, a fire, which likely originated from an electrical fault in the wiring, ignited a large collection of tyres stored on the premises. The blaze became incredibly intense due to the approximately 3,000 tyres acting as fuel, and