UK in breach of EU laws over sewage at Burry Inlet

THE European Court of Justice has ruled the UK has breached EU laws over the amount of waste water and sewage entering the sea in Carmarthenshire.

The ruling relates to the Burry Inlet, near Llanelli, where 14 overflow pipes are used to help stop flooding. Judges ruled this broke clean water laws in a special conservation area.

The problems are the result of the UK’s ageing sewers, and the Welsh Government, Natural Resources Wales and Welsh Water said they were investing in improvements.

Welsh Water has 3,000 special overflow pipes which act as relief valves to deal with the extra sewage and rainwater but go straight into rivers and the sea. Welsh Water is investing £113m in its Rainscape project, which it hopes will reduce the number of spills.

It involves reducing the amount of water that reaches the sewers through planting green spaces on streets and roofs to absorb rain, and building channels to capture surface water.

Welsh Water added: “We have met the legal permits for water quality in the Loughor Estuary and are aware of ever-increasing environmental standards and the need to manage long-term challenges, such as climate change, in a truly sustainable away.”

The UK argued the improvements would mean it could comply with EU clean water laws by 2020. However, the European Court of Justice, which rules on disputes involving EU legislation, found the UK was failing in its obligations after acting too late.

Judges ruled spills contributed to the deterioration of water quality in the Loughor Estuary. A Welsh Government spokesman said: “We will continue to work with Natural Resources Wales and Dwr Cymru on a £113m programme to reduce spills, improve water quality and reduce the risk of local flooding by 2020.”