A settlement agreement is a
voluntary, legally binding, way to bring employment to an end on agreed terms.
It’s a way of achieving a clean break and for you to receive compensation for
any potential claims you may have, in exchange for agreeing to drop the right
to bring any future claims against your employer.
We can offer you, specialist, legal
advice and guide you through the negotiations with your employer to reach an outcome
that will safeguard your interests.
The costs involved are usually payable
by your employer, at least in part, but most often in full.
If you require any advice on a settlement agreement
then please contact Stuart McNeil on 01793 532363.
So, you have found your “dream”
home, set deep in rural countryside.
However, is it a dream or a (potential) nightmare?
As you may, or may not, be aware, the rules governing Septic Tanks and Sewage Packet Treatment Plants change on 1 January 2020.
From 1 January, 2020, all Septic
Tanks and Sewage Packet Treatment Plants must be made to comply with the
Environment Agency’s General Binding Rules within a reasonable time. It is suggested that 12 months may be
reasonable. However, if a system is
already causing pollution a much shorter time would be appropriate.
Sellers and Buyers need to deal
with this issue early to avoid delays in transactions.
Septic tanks are designed to
settle the waste matter and to subsequently discharge this into a correctly
designed drainage field. Discharge must
not flow to a tunnel or soakaway or in the case of a septic tank directly to
surface water.
A drainage field can best be described
as an infiltration system made up of a series of rigid pipes with holes or
slots, placed in trenches, over drainage stone and arranged in a closed loop
design so that the effluent can trickle through the ground to be treated by
bacteria in the underlying soil.
The septic tank itself is an
underground settlement tank which allows the solids to sink to the bottom,
forming a sludge and the floating solids and dead bacteria float to the top
thereby forming a crust leaving the resulting septic liquid to flow out to a
drainage field.
The new or upgraded septic tank or sewage packet
treatment plant must be of the correct size and installed by a professional.
The system must, of course, be of a size suitable to the number of persons
residing in the subject property and is not a hit and miss affair.
Of course, it is a sensible idea
to regularly have the tank emptied –
usually annually dependent upon its size and the amount of people using
it. There are various “warning signs”
that a septic tank is failing and these can include:-
Foul
smells around the area where the tank is sited.,
“Greener”
grass growing in the vicinity of the tank.,
“Gurgling”
noises emanating from the plumbing, to name but a few
Possible causes are the tank “backing
up” which will require it to be emptied more frequently, tree/shrub roots
growing through the walls of the tank or a “collapsed baffle,” which is, in essence,
a very serious issue where could allow solids to flow into the soakaway system
which is only designed to deal with liquid waste. Ultimately, if this happens, then waste and
waste water may well back up into the property itself!
A lot of the smaller tanks, i.e.
serving just one family home, are granted an Exemption Certificate by the
Environment Agency, and you would be wise to enquire as to one does already
exist.
If you are considering selling or purchasing a property with such apparatus, then you are strongly advised to obtain specialist advice as to whether the system is working properly and as to suitability of the system to ensure no action be rendered against you by the Environment Agency and to avoid any delays in the transaction.
If you require any advice on the above topic please don’t hesitate to contact Kim Thurston or any member of the team on 01793 848900.