News outlets have reported that the UK government’s plan to cut millions of hours of raw sewage discharges by water companies each year is facing a judicial review on the grounds that it is unlawful.

The conservationist charity WildFish is calling for the storm overflow reduction strategy, published on 26^th August, to be withdrawn immediately, the Guardian said.

It argues the plan will allow storm overflows to continue dumping raw sewage for the next 28 years. In high-priority areas, the strategy will allow discharges to cause adverse ecological impacts for the next 13 years.

“WildFish lawyers have concluded that Defra’s [Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs] much-vaunted storm overflow discharge reduction plan is unlawful on many counts,” said Nick Measham, the chief executive of the charity.

“The plan allows or otherwise encourages the continuation of breaches of existing environmental laws by the water companies, by Ofwat and by the secretary of state himself, for many years to come, in some cases until 2050.”

Measham said the plan showed the government had no real appetite to deal robustly with the appalling sewage pollution of English rivers caused by water companies.

WildFish has begun proceedings against the plan by issuing a letter before action asking for the strategy to be withdrawn.

Defra announced the new storm overflows discharge reduction plan, which sets stringent new targets to protect people and the environment. This will require water companies to deliver the largest infrastructure programme in water company history.

Under government plans, by 2035 water companies will have to improve all storm overflows discharging into or near every designated bathing water, and improve 75% of overflows discharging to high-priority nature sites. By 2050, this will apply to all waterways.

Others have criticised the plan, including the Marine Conservation Society. Its analysis found that around 600 coastal sites won’t have to reduce the number of times they spill sewage into the sea, some of which could be near Marine Protected Areas.

The WildFish press release can be read here, along with reports in the Guardian and ENDSreport [paywall]. The UK Government’s policy paper on the storm overflows discharge reduction plan can be found here.