Dirty beaches? No thanks! Let’s clean up our act and re-join the EU
Dear all,
Just when we all wanted to head to the beach, more reports of dirty water are hitting the headlines. Sewage on the coast is in nobody’s interest.
At least 57 people fell sick with diarrhoea after participating in sea swimming events at the World Triathlon Championship Series in Sunderland, according to The Guardian. Prior to the event, an Environment Agency sampling on Roker beach revealed significantly high E. coli levels—3,900 colonies per 100ml, 39 times higher than the previous month’s readings.
The event took place on a coastline with a history of disputes over sewage discharges between campaigners and the government due to regulatory failures. Northumbrian Water denied responsibility for the illnesses, stating no discharges affecting Roker beach’s water quality were recorded since October 2021.
What does this have to do with the EU?
Prior to Brexit, most of the relevant UK legislation came from EU environmental law, which, from water and air quality to nature conservation and climate change, is renowned as among the world’s strongest.
Laws to clean up dirty beaches, for example, were widely regarded as one of the EU’s key achievements. Before these laws, UK beaches were some of the worst in Europe.
So what has happened in environmental protection since UK left EU?
Firstly, the Trade & Co-operation (TCA) agreement launched at the end of 2020 to govern UK-EU trading relations after the UK left the single market commits the parties to maintaining environmental-protection levels in place beforehand.
Secondly, the November 2021 Environment Act introduced a new legal framework for environmental protection to replace that of the EU post-Brexit and included provision for an Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) to provide oversight of the Government’s environmental progress.
So there’s nothing to worry about, then?
Not exactly. For one thing, the weakening of environmental protection can be challenged under the TCA only if it takes place ‘in a manner affecting’ trade and investment, thus narrowing the scope of protection to ensuring merely that neither side undercuts the other in trade.
Secondly, concerns have been raised that the Office for Environmental Protection is insufficiently independent from government and provides no legal remedies, equivalent to those available under EU law, for breaches of environmental legislation.
Third, with the Government’s Retained EU Law (REUL) Bill, we saw the government could potentially remove key environmental protections. The government wants to do this without asking Parliament. So much for taking back control!
What should we do?
Labour has introduced a private member’s bill that includes proposals automatically to fine companies for sewage dumping and implement legally binding reduction targets, but by its own admission would not curb sewage discharges until 2030 – and even then not all of them.
For the past 30 years, tackling river and beach cleanliness has, as Andrew Adonis pointed out, ‘been driven by the EU in the face of constant foot-dragging by British governments too influenced by the lobbying of dirty industry and the privatised water companies’.
So it’s simple – we need to bring back EU environmental regulations to protect our beaches, rivers and waterways.
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