In Ministry of Housing v Sharp CA [1970] 2 QB 223 the defendants negligently omitted to tell X, a purchaser of land, about the plaintiff’s charge on the land. This meant that X was not bound by the charge and so the plaintiffs suffered financial loss. This loss was as a result of the defendant’s careless statement to X, which X relied on, causing the plaintiff to suffer loss. The court awarded compensation as the defendant had breached a statutory duty that was designed to protect the plaintiff.