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Essex Oyster business to fight in court over sewage dumps

BBC Tom HawardBBC
The Haward Family has been cultivating oysters around Essex since the 1700s

A family-run oyster firm is set to argue in court that the dumping of sewage threatens its existence.

Tom Haward, a director at Essex-based Richard Haward's Oysters, said the "relentless dumping of sewage into our seas" threatened the environment it relied on to produce its oysters.

Companies currently have a deadline of 2050 to stop sewage discharges.

This legal challenge aims to force the government to bring deadlines forward and introduce tougher targets.

Richard Haward's Oysters plan to give evidence at the High Court from Wednesday.

Mr Haward said: "For eight generations the Haward family have grown oysters in Essex and sold them throughout the UK and beyond. Our livelihood balances completely on water quality."

Getty Images Water flowing from a drain into a riverGetty Images
The legal challenge has been backed by cross-party MPs

England's sewers were designed with 14,500 storm overflows to stop them becoming overwhelmed during heavy rainfall. The Environment Agency said these overflows were now used on a routine basis.

Through its Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) imposed a deadline of 2035 for reducing sewage flowing into bathing waters and areas of ecological importance.

It has given companies until 2050 to stop discharges elsewhere.

The Good Law Project has been supporting Richard Haward's Oysters, the Marine Conservation Society and surfer and activist Hugo Tagholm as they argue the strategy is inadequate and allows water companies to pollute for another 27 years.

Success against Defra could set a landmark precedent that would allow others to use an ancient English legal principle called the Public Trust Doctrine, to compel those in power to protect the natural environment.

Legal director of Good Law Project, Emma Dearnaley, said: "This is our chance to force the government to put in place a robust plan to put an end to the sewage scandal blighting our country."

Defra has been contacted for comment.

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