BBC News reports that the European Commission is planning to take the UK to the European Court of Justice, alleging it pumps too much sewage into the sea. "The case is expected to be filed within weeks and proceedings will centre on sewerage systems in London and Whitburn in north east England. But the action is seen as a "test case" against the use of Combined Sewer Overflow pipes (CSOs) around the UK. There are more than 20,000 pipes in the UK which pump raw sewage into the sea. The CSOs are supposed to be used in emergencies only, when treatment plants are overwhelmed with storm water".
It has been suggested that the food borne illness outbreak centred on Heston Blumental's restaurant could have been caused by a faecal-oral route with raw oysters as the vehicle.
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