The House of Lords has granted leave for the Empress Car Company (Abertillery) to challenge the High Court's refusal of its appeal against conviction at Tredegar Magistrates Court in 1995 of causing river pollution. Among the questions to be considered by the Law Lords will be whether, under s.85 (1) of the Water Resources Act 1991, a person can be convicted of causing polluting matter to enter controlled waters if it is proved that the polluting material was securely contained. The Welsh company was prosecuted by the National Rivers Authority over a pollution incident involving diesel oil.