French MPs hit out at UK for turning Channel into sewage 'dumping ground'

Three French lawmakers have hit out at Britain for putting the environment, livelihood of fishermen, and public health at greater risk by allowing raw sewage to be dumped in the Channel and the North Sea.

In a joint statement on Thursday, the French members of the European Parliament (MEPs) urged the European Commission to seek “political and legal” measures against the UK, accusing it of abandoning international environmental regulations.

“We fear for the negative consequences on the quality of seawater that we share with that country and as a result on the marine biodiversity as well as fishing and shellfish farms,” they wrote in a letter to the environment commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius.

The protest comes after a number of beaches in England and Wales were recently pinpointed as posing a pollution risk for bathers.

Britain is no longer bound by EU laws, but the country continues to be a signatory to relevant United Nations conventions on protecting shared waters, the MEPs argued, slamming the UK for neglecting its environmental commitments since leaving the bloc.

“Since Brexit, the United Kingdom has exonerated itself from [EU] environmental rules,” read the scathing letter titled "Britain’s pollution of the waters in the Channel and the North Sea".

The three MEPs belong to French President Emmanuel Macron's En Marche party. One of them, Pierre Karleskind, chairs the EU parliament's fisheries committee.

They warned that in the short term the sewage leaks risk bathing waters on the French coast and could inflict severe damage on marine biodiversity, fishing, and shellfish farming.

"The Channel and the North Sea are not dumping grounds," said Stéphanie Yon-Courtin, a Normandy politician who is also on the EU parliament's fisheries committee.

The wastewater management system in the UK is privatized, so wastewater from toilets is carried to sewage treatment works through the same pipes as rainwater, which eventually ends up in the rivers and the English Channel.

To prevent homes and public spaces from being flooded after heavy rains, the system is designed to discharge untreated sewage into rivers and the sea.

“This is a serious public health issue for government and regulators and it is clear that the water companies are not doing enough. The public health dangers are in addition to the ecological and environmental impact which forms the basis for much regulation," the lawmakers wrote.

Relations between England and France have nosedived since Brexit, with British prime minister Boris Johnson in October last year threatening to trigger trade dispute action in a bitter fishing row with Paris, while Macron told Johnson to “respect the rules.” 

Truss: 'Jury's out' on whether Macron is 'friend or foe'

Foreign secretary and PM hopeful Liz Truss on Thursday told Tory members at leadership hustings in Norwich that she was undecided as to whether Macron was “friend or foe”.

“The jury’s out,” she said. “But if I become prime minister, I would judge him on deeds, not words.”

Her rival in the Tory race, Rishi Sunak, answered “friend” when asked the same question about the French president.

Observers believe relations between the two countries could further deteriorate if Truss wins, as she is considering plans to trigger Article 16 of the Brexit deal, which would suspend the agreement within days of taking charge.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk