Stopping Poohaven could cost Britain millions

6:19pm Wednesday 17th October 2007

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Britain could be hit with a massive EU fine because of poor waste water treatment in Sussex.

The European Commission has started legal proceedings against the Government over waste water treatment plants in Brighton and those in Broadstairs and Margate, both in Kent.

The Commission believes the facility at Portobello Waste Treatment Works, Brighton, does not currently meet EU standards for waste water treatment and has taken the action as a means of putting pressure on British lawmakers and Southern Water, the company which runs it.

However it could result in a fine of millions of pounds if the required standards of the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive are not met.

The directive says that any town or city with a population over 15,000 must have adequate treatment facilities to remove excess levels of nutrients from wastewater originating from urban areas.

Conservative Euro MP Richard Ashworth said: "This directive has been in place for 16 years so it does seem we have taken far too long to bring local wastewater facilities up to the level required.

"In Brighton we need to take urgent action to ensure we can get a new wastewater facility as soon as possible.

"Failure to act now will not only see poor levels of water treatment in Brighton, but could also cause the UK to be hit with a fine from the EU.

"The authorities and Southern Water need to act urgently to ensure the people of Brighton get a fully-operational modern waste treatment facility."

It will also increase pressure on Southern Water to find a location for its proposed new waste water treatment plant which it wanted to build at Peacehaven.

The Government threw out the highly controversial proposals to build the £200 million facility at Lower Hoddern Farm, Peacehaven, earlier this year.

The plan met stiff opposition from local people and politicians who dubbed the facility "Poohaven".

A Government report concluded that the waste water treatment plant would have been "alien" to the South Downs but said Peacehaven remained the most suitable location for it.

The EU had already written to the Government warning it about urban waste water treatment at 13 locations across the country.

However at least six have now improved to the Commission's satisfaction.

Southern Water has acknowledged Portobello Waste Treatment Works does not currently meet EU requirements.

A spokeswoman for the firm said: "We are committed to delivering the vital improvements to wastewater treatment that are urgently needed for the Brighton, Hove and Peacehaven area.

"We have been working to secure planning permission for a new wastewater treatment works to serve Brighton and Hove for more than a decade.

"We are now carefully considering a revised solution for providing modern wastewater treatment for the residents of Brighton and Hove, Woodingdean, Ovingdean, Rottingdean, Saltdean, Telscombe Cliffs and Peacehaven at the Lower Hoddern Farm location."