Chambers and Partners Directory (2010 edition): recommended in Health & Safety and Consumer Law categories:

“… a health and safety and environment law expert with a niche food safety and maritime accident practice. He is widely regarded as an “absolutely charming and wholly effective advocate.””

“ … "impeccable judgement as an advocate and a very adaptable style.”  His "enormous photographic memory and detailed forensic analysis" make him a wise choice of counsel in large-scale food safety and product liability cases.”

Mark Watson is a barrister specialising in regulatory law, environmental, planning and public law, and practising in the following fields:

• Health & safety
• Environmental and planning
• Food safety
• Trading standards and consumer law
• Maritime regulatory
• Inquests
• Other regulatory

Health & Safety:

Mark has undertaken numerous health & safety cases, including several fatal accidents, examples of which include: child fatality as a result of poorly maintained motocross track, electrocution, construction site accidents, agricultural/horticultural accidents, falls from heights, fairground rides, defective machinery and asbestos etc.  

Experience includes:

• Junior defence counsel in R v. Beckingham (the Barrow-in-Furness legionnaires’ disease outbreak in which the defendant was acquitted of gross negligence manslaughter). 
• Junior defence counsel in corporate manslaughter trial R v. Naturediet at the Central Criminal Court in 2009 (corporate defendant acquitted of manslaughter). 
• He is regularly instructed to prosecute on behalf of the HSE and local authorities in fatal accident cases. 
• Defence clients include major supermarket chains, construction, manufacturing, food, transport and property management companies.  Also undertakes appeals against improvement and prohibition notices in the Employment Tribunal. 

Environmental & Planning: 

• Mark Watson prosecutes on behalf of the Environment Agency in cases involving unlawful waste deposits and water pollution.
• Instructed by local authorities to prosecute cases of breach of planning control, enforcement notices, listed building cases, advertising related matters, statutory nuisance and untidy sites. 
• Currently instructed by the Environment Agency as junior prosecution counsel in relation to a test case concerning persistent discharges from the sewage system onto land.  Regularly instructed to defend or appear on behalf of appellants in cases of a similar nature. 
• Instructed by local authorities in relation to a broad range of planning matters, with the emphasis on enforcement. 
• Has advised and appeared on behalf of local planning authorities at local plan inquiries. 
• Has appeared on behalf of local authorities in numerous other planning inquiries including: large scale residential development, retail development, residential care homes, conference centres, listed buildings and conservation areas, Green Belt and countryside issues, agriculture and horticultural related development and cases involving gypsies/travellers. 
• Has particular experience in relation to enforcement matters (including appeals against enforcement notices, listed buildings and human rights issues) and the use of injunctions (particularly in relation to gypsy/traveller cases and listed buildings). 

Food Safety: 

As a barrister specialising in food safety Mark Watson prosecutes on behalf of the Food Standards Agency in cases such as those:

• Relating to food processing, storage etc.
• Arising from the condition of food premises and food poisoning, including a recent large scale salmonella outbreak arising from food premises at a Blue Water shopping centre in Kent.  

He is regularly instructed to appear on behalf of large food/drink companies and supermarket chains.

Trading Standards and Consumer Law: 

Mark Watson is instructed to prosecute and defend in cases relating to trade descriptions, trademarks, prices etc. He recently successfully defended a leading high street electrical goods supplier in relation to the alleged breaches of the Electrical Equipment Regulations.  Other significant cases include defending the director of satellite television auction channel concerning allegations of misleading price indications.

Maritime regulatory: 

These include criminal prosecutions arising from accidents at sea and on the River Thames. Mark Watson is instructed by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the Port of London Authority.  He prosecuted the Master of a Thames barge which struck Battersea Road Bridge causing significant damage and closure of the bridge for months.  He is currently instructed by the MCA in relation to a fatality which occurred on board a vessel in British territorial waters.  Mark also undertook disclosure exercise in relation to Sea Empress disaster on behalf of Environment Agency.    

Inquests: 

Mark has appeared at several inquests on behalf of local authorities and companies including cases involving a large scale explosion at a plastic manufacturing plant, a fatality on the London Underground system, a fatality on a level crossing and fatal workplace transport accidents.   

Other regulatory: 

Mark has advised and represented local authorities and companies (including a major supermarket and large metal recycling company) in respect of appeals against noise abatement notices. He regularly advises in relation to disclosure matters arising from regulatory work, particularly with regard to requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act and the Environmental Information Regulations.