The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has launched a new consultation on the Government’s proposal to expand the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan to cover all coastal and estuarine waters.

Defra has launched a six-week consultation on expanding its targets to tackle sewage even further to cover all coasts, estuaries and marine protected sites.

The Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, published in August 2022, set out stringent targets to protect people and the environment, backed up by £56 billion capital investment – the largest infrastructure programme in water company history.

Building on the measures in the plan to address the overflows causing the most harm first, the government is now consulting for six weeks on expanding the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan to cover all coastal and estuarine overflows. The current Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan covers 91% of storm overflows.

The consultation follows the government announcing that targets to reduce storm overflow discharges will be enshrined in law through the Environment Act 2021.

The government’s intention to consult on the targets was set out last month. The consultation has now launched and will be open until 24 July 2023, and follows the Environment Secretary’s demand to water companies earlier this year to share individual action plans on every storm overflow, including coastal and estuarine, this summer.

Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey said:

“While 93% of our beaches with designated bathing status are already rated excellent or good, there is still more to do to better protect our hugely important coasts and estuaries.

“That is why I am consulting to extend our stringent targets to cover every storm overflow in England – protecting people and the environment across the country.”

Announcing the consultation, Defra commented:

“The targets outlined in the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan provide an achievable, credible route to tackling sewage and delivering the improvements customers expect without disproportionately impacting consumer bills.”

Click here to access the consultation online