Three European MPs claim that by permitting raw sewage to be thrown into the North Sea and the Channel, the UK is endangering the health and marine life along the French coast.
Following sewage overflows into rivers and the sea brought on by heavy rain, pollution alerts have been issued for over 50 beaches in England and Wales.
The French MEPs charge that the UK has disregarded its environmental obligations and put fishing and marine life at risk.
British water firms have stated that they are spending money to find a solution.
The MEPs said in a letter requesting that the European Commission take legal or political action that the United Kingdom has ignored its environmental obligations since leaving the European Union.
Their claim was “just not true,” according to a UK government spokesperson.
The UK was still a signatory to pertinent United Nations conventions on protecting shared waterways, the MEPs contended, even though it was no longer subject to EU laws.
The three MEPs are all members of En Marche, a pro-EU group supported by French President Emmanuel Macron. The chairman of the fishing committee of the European Parliament is one of them, Pierre Karleskind.
He stated that the UK could not be permitted to disregard its obligations under the terms of Brexit and jeopardise the 20 years of advancement of water quality standards in Europe.
The MEPs warn that short-term sewage leaks could endanger fishing, oyster farming, and bathing waters around the French coast. They could also have a negative impact on marine biodiversity.
(With inputs from agencies)
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