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- BADMC obtained a High Court injunction against PJ Holdings Limited, John Marshall and Paul Marshall to protect Three Houses Spring.
- Justice Michelle Weekes granted the injunction pending a substantive hearing, ordering defendants to cease pollution, diversion and to remove embankments or earthworks.
- The ruling rests on Sections 5‑7 of the 2023 Three Houses Spring (Management and Control) Act, which authorizes BADMC officers to enter the defendants’ lands with police assistance to monitor water quality and install protective measures.
The Barbados Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (BADMC) has obtained a High Court injunction to halt alleged pollution and diversion of the historic Three Houses Spring in St Philip. The order, granted by Justice Michelle Weekes, stops PJ Holdings Limited, John Marshall and Paul Marshall from interfering with the spring’s natural flow and requires them to remove any existing embankments or earthworks.
According to the court ruling, the defendants must cease diverting, polluting or obstructing the watercourse, refrain from discharging effluent or pollutants, and take all reasonable steps to dismantle any constructions that impede the spring’s flow. They are also directed to restore the spring to its natural course pending a substantive hearing later this year.
Justice Weekes based the injunction on Sections 5‑7 of the 2023 Three Houses Spring (Management and Control) Act. The legislation empowers BADMC officers, accompanied by police if necessary, to enter the defendants’ lands to monitor water quality, inspect the site and carry out protective measures.
Three Houses Spring is described as one of Barbados’s oldest continuously used water sources, serving the local community for generations. The injunction aims to preserve its ecological integrity and prevent further degradation while the legal case proceeds.
The court also affirmed that BADMC may install temporary protective works on the spring’s banks to safeguard water quality during the interim period, subject to any further orders from the High Court.