Administrative / Public Law · First-tier Tribunal (General Regulatory Chamber)
Azenta UK Limited v Environment Agency
Checked against the judgment on 4 September 2026 · how we verify
Facts
Azenta UK Limited manufactures automated sample storage systems and operates UK sites at Manchester, Wotton, Cambridge and Takeley. As a large undertaking with revenue of some £76.2 million, it fell within the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme for the third compliance period and was required to carry out an energy audit and notify compliance by 5 June 2024, extended to 6 August 2024. The Environment Agency says it sent three awareness letters, a compliance notice dated 11 September 2024 and an enforcement notice dated 27 November 2024, all addressed to Azenta's registered office in Irlam, Manchester but naming the county as Lancashire and omitting the industrial park. An employee received the enforcement notice on or about 2 December 2024 and passed it to a health and safety manager, who sought guidance from the Agency and obtained an extension to 27 March 2025; a further extension was refused on 10 April 2025 and a notice of intent followed on 11 April 2025, unanswered. A civil penalty notice of £29,700 for failure to carry out an energy audit was issued on 30 July 2025. Azenta appealed, contending the earlier notices were never properly served and that the penalty was excessive; it did not appeal the remedial steps required.
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