A UK-based businessman has launched a more than £1 million legal battle against Britain’s biggest water company, claiming a devastating swamp wildfire destroyed prized grouse breeding sites, killed wildlife and undone years of conservation work at his Lancashire property.David Livesey, the former chief executive of estate agency group Connells, is seeking £1,034,600 in damages from United Utilities after a fire destroyed hundreds of acres of moorland during a heatwave in May 2020, the Daily Mail reports.The High Court heard that the fire started on Darwin Moor on the evening of May 30 after two men allegedly burned dry vegetation with a disposable barbecue. The fire spread rapidly under exceptionally dry conditions and ultimately burned approximately 630 acres of protected wetlands in seven days.Livesey owns the 300-acre Lords Hall estate, which borders the affected land. They claim that United Utilities failed to take appropriate steps to prevent the fire from spreading to their property, despite having access to personnel, contractors and specialist equipment capable of helping control the fire.According to his legal team, the company focused its efforts on protecting its land, while failing to extinguish the fire or deploy resources that could have prevented the flames from reaching its property.The businessman purchased the Lords Hall estate in 2017 and has invested heavily in environmental restoration projects aimed at improving moorland habitat. Thousands of native plants were brought in and hundreds of dams and ponds were built to re-wet parts of the marshland, court documents said.His lawyers argue that most of his work was destroyed in the fire.Livesey also claimed that wildfires devastated red grouse breeding areas, destroying hundreds of nests and young birds, which were part of the game and conservation value of the property.In submissions to the court, his legal team argued that the damage could have been avoided if better fire prevention measures had been taken and additional firefighting efforts had been made to prevent the fire from spreading northwards.United Utilities denies liability and is vigorously contesting the claim.The company argues that it was not the legal occupier of the area where the fire occurred because the relevant sections of Darwen Moor were subject to agricultural tenancy agreements. It also rejects allegations that its response to the emergency was negligent.Lawyers for the utility company told the court that the decision on where resources should be deployed was made by Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, which was leading the response operation.The company further argues that some of the fire-prevention measures proposed by Livesey are unrealistic, including the suggestion that visitors should formally agree not to light fires on the moorland.A court gave conditional cautions to two men whose disposable barbecue caused a fire. They were ordered to complete 150 hours of restoration work on the damaged marshland, which included repairing walls, removing damaged infrastructure and helping to restore native vegetation.