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06/02/2007
NI faces fines over sewage treatment
Northern Ireland is to face major fines after a European Court criticised the poor sewage treatment systems in place in the province.
The European Court of Justice found that nine areas in the province had environmental breaches in their sewage system including areas in County Down, County Antrim, County Tyrone and County Londonderry.
A fine, which could amount to thousands of euros a day, is expected to be imposed within the next two-months.
It is understood that the original complaint regarding the condition of Northern Ireland's sewage system came from Friends of the Earth who have said that authorities should deal with the problem in hand.
A spokesman for Friends of the Earth said: "This appalling sewage pollution is not acceptable to us, it's not acceptable to the people of Northern Ireland, and it's not acceptable to the European Court."
He added that after investigating the complaint, the court had found inadequate treatment at waste water works in: Bangor; Carrickfergus; Coleraine; Donaghadee; Larne; Londonderry; Newtownabbey; Omagh and Portrush.
A spokeswoman for the Department of the Environment said: "We have read the judgement and, while we are still studying it, the department's view is that it does not call into question the handling of the planning applications in the affected areas."
(EF)
The European Court of Justice found that nine areas in the province had environmental breaches in their sewage system including areas in County Down, County Antrim, County Tyrone and County Londonderry.
A fine, which could amount to thousands of euros a day, is expected to be imposed within the next two-months.
It is understood that the original complaint regarding the condition of Northern Ireland's sewage system came from Friends of the Earth who have said that authorities should deal with the problem in hand.
A spokesman for Friends of the Earth said: "This appalling sewage pollution is not acceptable to us, it's not acceptable to the people of Northern Ireland, and it's not acceptable to the European Court."
He added that after investigating the complaint, the court had found inadequate treatment at waste water works in: Bangor; Carrickfergus; Coleraine; Donaghadee; Larne; Londonderry; Newtownabbey; Omagh and Portrush.
A spokeswoman for the Department of the Environment said: "We have read the judgement and, while we are still studying it, the department's view is that it does not call into question the handling of the planning applications in the affected areas."
(EF)
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