Environmentalists have this month taken the Government to court over their policy which has resulted in tonnes of raw and poorly treated sewerage being dumped in Northern Ireland's seas, rivers and lakes. Friends of the Earth (FoE) carried out a Judicial Review of the policy of allowing new housing developments to connect to the public sewer where sewerage treatment is inadequate or non-existent. These areas are known as "sewage hotspots". FoE's Northern Ireland Director John Woods argues that this is a clear cut case. "The European Commission has already told the Government that it's actions are unlawful, and it beggars belief that the Ministers for Regional Development and the Environment and senior Civil Servants should waste time and public money defending the indefensible". FoE go on to say that they are not seeking to stop the developments altogether, but that developers should be required to install small sewerage works or package plants, as part of new housing developments. These could then be removed when the sewerage infrastructure is brought up to the required standard.
This Judicial Review is the result of a prolonged campaign to persuade the Government to review their policy of allowing development in sewage hotspots and is directed specifically against the Water Service.
