28/06/2026
Norfolk fishermen have lost their High Court battle with an offshore energy giant after a judge ruled that the public interest in clean energy outweighed their right to fish.
Members of the North Norfolk Fishermen’s Society have been ordered to move their gear by 5pm on Friday to allow Norwegian firm Equinor to carry out seabed surveys before it extends the Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon wind farms.
The Norwegian state-backed energy giant – which reported revenues of £80 billion in 2025 -had sought a High Court injunction to complete the surveys, which it says are essential before extending the wind farms.
The fishermen – who say the costs of moving their gear and hiring lawyers is set to cost them thousands – were made aware of the legal notice earlier this month when they arrived at their boats to find papers zip-tied to their hulls.
At the hearing on June 17, deputy High Court judge Aidan Eardley KC granted the injunction, stressing the importance of the wind farm project.
The judge found it risked missing the government’s 2030 clean energy target if surveys were not completed immediately, and ruled that Equinor’s losses could not be compensated in damages while the fishermen’s could.
KC Eardley said the public interest in completing the surveys “outweighs the brief disruption to fishing rights, which can be compensated for financially”.
John Davies, an eighth-generation fisherman who has worked the waters off Cromer for 50 years and is the chairman of the society, said the result left the fishermen feeling “let down” and “bullied”.
“They got their way through all of the legal power they threw at it,” he said.
“We were never going to win against them – but it’s the way they’ve conducted themselves which has frustrated us. It’s absolutely diabolical.
“We just feel let down. We have been bullied out of the way. We’ve just been spoken to by legal letters, most of them stuck on our boats.
“Might is not always right.”
The survey area covers just 0.11pc of the waters typically fished by local fishermen, and around 47pc of the surveys had already been completed before fishing gear prevented further work.
If any fishing gear remains in the survey area after the deadline, Equinor is authorised under the order to remove it themselves.
Mr Davies said the cumulative toll of wind farm development was eating into fishing grounds across the region – the fleet had already been forced to make way for Orsted’s wind farm before Equinor arrived.
“With Ørsted and Equinor, this takes up four miles of sea,” he said.
“This is an awful lot of area we have had to move out of. I can’t spend all my time running around for Equinor – I need to carry on fishing.”
James Chambers, another of the fisherman, said at the hearing that the dispute could have been settled before court.
“I have always been very open to work alongside the wind farm companies in the past,” he said.
“Had I been contacted sooner I am sure we would have already finished our discussions and reached an agreement.”
Steff Aquarone, the Lib Dem MP for North Norfolk, who has previously supported wind farms but took the fishermen’s side ahead of the hearing, said the verdict had caused serious concern.
“Equinor’s heavy-handed approach has understandably caused concern to North Norfolk’s fishermen who are worried about the impact that this High Court verdict will have on their livelihoods,” he said.
“All that the fishermen have asked for are realistic timelines, collaboration, fair treatment and timely engagement.
“I am alarmed at the rate that Equinor has escalated the issue – especially as the fishermen have been cooperative and remain willing to work towards an effective resolution for both parties.
“The small-scale fishing industry is crucial to North Norfolk and it must be protected at all costs.
“I urge Equinor to come back to the table and discuss the fishermen’s concerns with urgency.”
Equinor said it hoped to complete the outstanding work within a week.
A spokesman said: “We managed to complete most of the survey work while there was fishing gear in the area, but the last part requires the gear to be removed.
“We are committed to working constructively with the local fishing community and to plan our activities in a way that supports coexistence.”
Equinor’s extension projects were granted development consent by Ed Miliband, the secretary of state for energy, in April 2024.
The combined output of the existing Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon wind farms currently powers around 710,000 UK homes.
When complete, the extensions will increase that to nearly 1.5 million households.
The case returns to the High Court on July 1, where the injunction may be extended or discharged.
✍Original copy by Henry Durand, Local Democracy Reporter
