26 June 2025:
 
Over the last year, we used our cameras to document works being carried out by Severn Trent Water (STW) and its contractors on a field behind Windsor Crescent, Crowle, North Lincs — a site where permitted development status is highly questionable. That footage has since been shared with regulators, including North Lincolnshire Council, the Environment Agency, and DEFRA.

But what began as public documentation has, at times, led to confrontation — including an incident in May 2025 where a Crowle resident was pursued and filmed by a contractor down the street and nearly right up to their home. That incident prompted STW to issue a formal apology.

So what exactly are your rights when it comes to filming infrastructure projects from your own home or in public?

Here’s what the law says — and what the companies involved haven’t told you.

⚠️Disclaimer:

This article is provided for informational purposes only.

It does not constitute legal advice.

Readers are encouraged to seek independent legal counsel before acting on any issue related to filming, public rights, or civil disputes.

 

 
📸 1. Yes, You’re Allowed to Film in Public.

UK law is very clear:

📍 You can film anyone and anything you can see from a public place.
📍 You don’t need permission.
📍 There is no legal “right not to be filmed” in a public setting.

That means you can legally film:

Drainage works
Infrastructure projects
Contractors at work
STW personnel
…as long as you’re not trespassing, obstructing, or harassing anyone.
 
📸 2. Yes, You Can Film From Your Own Property.

Equally, you can record visible works from your own back garden, window, or fence line — and, especially when STW contractors:

Begin work before permitted hours,
Use heavy machinery or vibration tools outside agreed times,
Raise concerns over potentially unauthorised handling or disposal of site materials
Utilising unmarked sewage tankers, and leaving sewage exposed on public streets.
Or modify land near controlled drainage assets without clear oversight.
This isn’t harassment — it’s public-interest monitoring.

 
📸 3. STW Knows This — And Has Never Objected

At no point has Severn Trent Water requested that they cease filming — in fact, they’ve previously acknowledged and responded to the footage shared, without challenge.

 

🗓️ On 30 August 2024, Timothy Ip (STW) emailed to thank the resident for the photos they submitted — with no objection or instruction to stop filming.

🗓️ On 11 June 2025, Lisa Orme (STW) apologised for the 22 May incident, where one of their contractors aggressively filmed and pursued the same resident. Again — no objection was raised about the residents’ filming. No demand to stop. No legal challenge.

👉 Click here to view the emails

That silence is powerful. It shows implicit acknowledgement that the residents’s actions were — and are — lawful.

 
📸 4. And Yet… A Resident Was Harassed for Doing Exactly That

On 22 May, they were:

Filming quietly from a public area,
Followed for half a mile,
Then aggressively confronted and filmed near their own home.
This wasn’t a misunderstanding — it was intimidation. And it shows the kind of tactics contractors resort to when documentation gets too close to the truth.

 
🛑 A Note on Harassment vs. Lawful Observation

Clarifying the Line: Observation vs Harassment

It's important to distinguish between lawfully filming and harassment.

In UK law, simply recording people or activity from public land — or your own property — does not constitute harassment.

Harassment, legally, requires a pattern of persistent, targeted behaviour intended to cause alarm or distress.

Quietly observing and recording works that may affect public safety or infrastructure integrity is not only lawful — it’s in the public interest.

📌 What we do is not harassment — it is documentation and oversight, backed by legal rights and public duty.

 
⚖️ Supporting Legislation

Legal Basis & What It Covers -

 

Human Rights Act 1998 –
Article 10 Right to freedom of expression, including journalism, photography, and holding public authorities to account.

Public Order Act 1986 -
Applies only if filming is used to harass or provoke — not simply to document.

Protection from Harassment Act 1997 -
You may be protected from others filming you in a threatening way — as in the residents’ case with the contractor:

Pursuing someone after they have disengaged and left the location is classic harassment behaviour:

“A course of conduct that causes alarm or distress, and which a reasonable person would understand as harassment.”
This applies even in public, and especially where:

There’s repeated behaviour (filming, confrontation),
The action continues beyond the scene of the original incident,
You’re being followed against your will.
 
🚫 So… Did The Workman Cross The Line?

From the evidence and witness accounts obtained, the worker:

Pointed a camera or phone at the in direct response to being filmed.
May have done so repeatedly or in a confrontational manner,
Knew (or could reasonably suspect) that the resident was experiencing distress or vulnerability,
May have tried to record or provoke a reaction — especially after the resident had clearly withdrawn.
In legal and regulatory terms, this may constitute:

⚠️ Harassment

Under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, it's unlawful to:

Pursue a course of conduct which a reasonable person would consider to amount to harassment of another.
Harassment includes repeated or oppressive actions, especially when it involves a power imbalance (e.g. contractor vs member of the public) or exploiting someone's distress.

 
🏥 Mental Health Context: Stronger Legal Protection

The residents’ mental health status strengthens their position further, because:

North Lincolnshire Council & Severn Trent were made aware of the residents’ condition and were supplied with documentary evidence.

Even if the contractor didn’t know the specifics, any visible signs of distress or repeated attempts to disengage would place a reasonable duty on them to stop.

Under the Equality Act 2010, indirect harassment or intimidation of someone with a protected characteristic (such as a disability or mental health condition) can constitute discrimination or a public sector equality duty breach.
In short: the moment the resident disengaged, and the workman chose to continue filming or provoking, he stepped out of the legal grey area and into potentially unlawful conduct.

 
❓ This Raises Questions:

Was the workman and his workmates acting on instructions?
What disciplinary action (if any) was taken by CPC Civils or STW?
Were safeguarding policies followed, given the residents’ mental health disclosures?
 
📸 5. What This Means for Residents and Watchdogs

You have every right to document what’s happening in your area — particularly when it involves:

Environmental impact,
Flood risk,
Infrastructure,
Or possible regulatory breaches.
🎥 Whether you’re filming from your driveway, front step, or back fence — you’re protected.

When STW or their contractors (ie. CPC Civils) cross the line, the camera is not just a tool — it’s a shield.

 
💼 If Challenged by Police or Authorities

You can state clearly:

“I’m filming from a public place. I understand my legal rights under UK law, including the Human Rights Act Article 10. This is a matter of public interest, and I’m acting peacefully, not causing alarm or obstruction.”
 
📸 6. Conclusion: This Isn’t About Drama — It’s About Oversight

We’ve never filmed to provoke. We film to observe, document, and protect the public record.

When powerful companies work behind hedges and barbed wire, the camera becomes the only line of accountability many communities have left.

So yes — we’ll keep filming. Not to harass, but to defend.

Because the moment we stop watching is the moment they stop answering.

 
👉 If you’ve had a similar experience — or if you’ve been challenged for filming or photographing infrastructure issues — We’d like to hear from you. Leave a comment.

 
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👉 If you feel strongly about the issues raised in this article, then consider sending an e-mail to Crowle Town Council (clerk@crowleandealandcouncil.org) or North Lincolnshire Council (customerservice@northlincs.gov.uk) or even Councillor Julie Reed, (Cllr.juliereed@northlincs.gov.uk), and ask them why are residents being silenced?