UK Faces Action Over Waste Water
Published on by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network in Government
The Government is being taken to court by the commission over a failure to ensure waste water from towns, cities and villages is properly treated
Bathers could see better water quality at beaches, lakes and estuaries around the Westcountry if the European Commission succeeds in legal action against the UK.
The Government is being taken to court by the commission over a failure to ensure waste water from towns, cities and villages is properly treated.
The case relates to 17 areas where the collection and treatment of waste water from homes, industry and rainwater is inadequate or does not meet stringent standards needed where the water ends up in sensitive areas such as lakes and estuaries.
EU countries have had many years to ensure that urban waste water is properly treated to prevent risks to human health, inland waters and sea environments, the commission said.
Surfers Against Sewage has been calling for action and investment to address the issue of combined sewage overflows (CSO), including at Gwithian, in Cornwall, where pollution has made bathers ill and even forced the cancellation of a surf contest.
Campaign director Andy Cummins said the legal action could "set a precedent" for the water industry.
"The water industry is making billions each year and what the Commission are saying is they are not keeping their end of the bargain," he added.
"We have been calling for a maximum of three spills during the bathing season and nine for the entire year - that might sound a lot but some of these CSOs are discharging 60 or 70 times a year.
"If this latest action is successful we could see a wave of communities such as Godrevy inluded which could mean a sizeable amount of long-overdue investment."
In four areas: Banchory, in Aberdeenshire, Stranraer, in Dumfries and Galloway, Ballycastle in Co Antrim and Clacton, in Essex, the commission said water treatment is inadequate - while in Gibraltar there was no treatment plant at all.
Source: Western Morning News
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