Coastal waters and estuaries have been included in the government’s plan to tackle sewage pollution, in a win for campaigners who threatened legal action, ENDSreport has said.

The UK Government issued a press release that stated:

• Government expands plan to tackle storm overflows, including all coastal and estuary sites
• Marine protected areas and shellfish water protected areas made a priority
• Plan to drive £60 billion capital investment over next 25 years – the largest infrastructure programme in water company history.

The Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan (SODRP), which was published in August last year, sets out that water companies will have to improve all storm overflows discharging into or near designated bathing areas and improve 75% of overflows into high priority nature sites by 2035. By 2050, this was set to apply to the remaining storm overflows.

Initially the plan covered just 91% of storm overflows, but environment secretary Thérèse Coffey has confirmed that the plan will now cover all overflows.

Photo by Rodney Minter-Brown

The update comes after it was pointed out last year that storm overflows discharging into the sea – that did not directly impact a coastal designated bathing area – were being left out of the targets, with Special Protection Areas and Marine Conservation Zones not included on the list of high priority sites.

The Good Law Project challenged this omission and brought a judicial review on behalf of the Marine Conservation Society, Richard Haward’s Oysters, and surfer and activist Hugo Tagholm. The High Court agreed to hear the challenge in February 2023 and a date was set for July.

All coastal and estuary storm overflows are now included, and Marine Protected Areas and shellfish water protected areas have been added to the list of high priority sites.

Giving with one hand and taking away with the other

Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey said: “As a coastal MP, I am determined to address the damage sewage discharges have on our coastlines.

“Water companies must clean up their act and our plan means no overflow will be left behind in our efforts to clean up our waterways. 

“Through more investment, stronger regulation and tougher enforcement of the water sector we will tackle pollution from every storm overflow in the country.” 

Sandy Luk, Marine Conservation Society chief executive, described the update as “fantastic news”.

She said: “I am incredibly proud that our legal challenge has led to this decision from the UK Government.  

“We are concerned, however, that the expansion of the Plan is giving with one hand and taking away with the other, unless the Government addresses a major issue in the small print.  

“As it stands, the new targets are only to apply to inland storm overflows and not yet coastal and estuarine waters. This needs to be resolved urgently.”

Further information in ENDSreport can be read here and the UK Government press release can be found here.