Sewage court cases proceed as Defra pledges to consult on coastal spills

Good Law Project has announced a court date for its legal challenge of Defra’s Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan.

The hearing will take place 4-6 July. Good Law Project, in partnership with the Marine Conservation Society, Richard Haward’s Oysters and surfer and activist Hugo Tagholm, argue the plan should be rewritten to bring forward the 2050 clean-up deadline and to incorporate coastal waters and around 600 storm overflows that are currently excluded. Good Law Project commented: “We believe that giving the green light to this environmental vandalism for decades to come is not just unconscionable – it’s also unlawful on a number of grounds.”

Last week, Defra said it planned to consult on expanding its storm overflow targets to cover all coasts, estuaries and marine protected sites.

Meanwhile in a separate case, Fish Legal reported the High Court has given it the green light for judicial review against the Environment Agency (EA) and government for failing to stop sewage pollution in Yorkshire trout river, the Costa Beck.

On behalf of Pickering Fishery Association, Fish Legal will challenge the EA’s latest River Basin Management Plan, which was approved by Defra in December. It argued that the “old, demonstrably inadequate permits” held by Yorkshire Water for discharges from Pickering sewage treatment works should “by now have been properly reviewed and updated as part of that planning process and enforcement action taken regarding the numerous breaches”.

Fish Legal said the EA has not met its legal obligations to reverse the decline of Costa Beck which has been ‘poor’ for fish populations since 2009 and is targeted to achieve good ecological status by 2027.