Spills of untreated sewage into rivers and seas have become a national scandal, with so-called ‘storm overflows’ discharging far more often than originally intended – or than the law allows – with serious impacts for the environment and human health. Yet the Government plan to tackle discharges allows many of them to continue until 2050.
Peter Lockley is acting for the Marine Conservation Society, Richard Haward Oysters (whose business has been affected by sewage spills), and wild swimmer and clean water campaigner Hugo Tagholm in a challenge to the plan. The Claimants allege that the plan unlawfully fails to align with the targets to halt biodiversity, that it breaches Convention rights, and that it breaches the Public Trust Doctrine, by which the State holds common resources such as coastal waters on trust for the people and – the Claimants say – must maintain those resources in a fit ecological condition.
Peter is instructed by Good Law Practice and led by Marc Willers KC. The claim is being heard together with a separate challenge to the plan brought by Wildfish. Both cases are reported on by The Guardian.
