UK faces dirty water fines

Britain has taken too long to clean beaches

Two beaches in Lancashire have been targetted by the European Commission for failing water quality tests.

The commission has demanded Britain be fined £65,000 a day for failing to improve seaside water quality, citing Bispham and St Anne's North as the main offenders.

The demand, submitted to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg, comes after Britain was given more than two decades to make problem beaches conform to bathing water cleanliness standards.

The government has already been found to be in breach of the rules by the European judges.

A statement issued in Brussels said the commission had decided to launch legal proceedings for a second time to enforce the earlier judgement.

Lancashire beaches have been targeted

The bathing water quality directive was first introduced in 1976, with all member states given a decade to bring their coastal waters up to the mark.

Brussels laid down a series of "guide values" to monitor water quality at bathing beaches.

Britain was first taken to court in 1993, accused of failing to meet the standards in nine bathing areas around the Fylde coast.

They were named as Bispham, St Anne's North, St Anne's, Southport, Fleetwood, Blackpool North, Blackpool South, Blackpool Central and Cleveleys.

When the government lost that case the commission agreed to wait until 1996 to see if UK improvement programmes tackled the problem.

But, the commission said today, the majority of the nine areas still failed the tests in1996 and 1997.

In 1998 and 1999 only three of the nine - Bispham, Fleetwood and Cleveleys - complied although the commission acknowledged initial results for this year show a "marked improvement".

'Continued failure'

It added in a statement: "Two of the bathing areas still failed to comply so the commission has decided to proceed for the second time to the Court of Justice and request that a fine of 106,800 euros (£65,000) per day be imposed on the United Kingdom.

"The penalty would apply to each day of non-compliance with the second judgment of the court, once it is given."

Similar action was launched today against Germany, with the commission seeking fines of more than £140,000 a day for failing to meet environmental standards.

EU environment commissioner Margot Wallstrom said: "It is always unfortunate when the commission is faced with the need to apply to the Court of Justice for a second time.

Government regret

"I hope that both member states will be in a position to comply with their obligations as soon as possible."

A spokesman for the government later expressed regret at the EU action, insisting that the UK is now virtually in line with standards and is launching a £56m scheme to further improve coastal waters.

But the spokesman admitted that while the original targets for 1997 will now not be met until 2005, the UK was committed to taking all necessary measures to speed progress.

"We regret that the commission has decided to refer the case ... in the year 2000 the country's bathing water figures were the best ever."