European Commission looks into complaints over UK sewage dump

The European Commission said Thursday it will soon reply to complaints received from MEPs about British sewage allegedly being poured into waters shared with the EU.

The EU environment and fisheries commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius received a letter from the three members of the European Parliament about the alleged sewage disposal and "there'll be a reply in due course", a commission spokesman said.

The letter, by Pierre Karleskind, who heads the parliament's fishing committee, Nathalie Loiseau and Stephanie Yon-Courtin, demands that the commission "use all political and legal means in its possession" to have Britain halt the unchecked effluvium.

They said raw sewage in Britain is being dumped in its rivers and along the coastline fronting the Channel and the North Sea, threatening marine ecosystems and the health of EU fishermen and women.

All three lawmakers come from France, whose waters would be most directly affected by any spread of the raw sewage from Britain across the Channel.

Waters around Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands and Denmark could also be impacted.

The lawmakers' letter argued that by allowing the sewage outflows, Britain was failing to uphold its commitments under its post-Brexit treaty with the EU as well as UN conventions.

Asked about a clause in the post-Brexit treaty committing both sides not to roll back environmental protections, the commission spokesman, Tim McPhie, said there was "nothing specific on storm water overflows" in it.

He added that the commission had, to date, not had any contact with British authorities on the sewage issue.

British water companies say unusually high rainfall recently forced them to send untreated sewage through stormwater overflow conduits, which has caused the closure of dozens of UK beaches for health reasons.

(AFP)