The city of Copenhagen has dumped more than 35 billion litres of untreated sewage into the Oresund strait separating Sweden and Denmark in recent years, officials told AFP on Wednesday.

"The data for waste water overflow for the municipality of Copenhagen for the five years between 2014 and 2018 amount to 35.4 million cubic metres," or 35.4 billion litres, Henrik Hagen Olesen of the Danish Environment Agency wrote in an email to AFP.

Untreated waste overflows from the sewage system directly into the open water in the event of heavy rains.

The scale of the overflow has shocked Danish politicians, with some calling for better infrastructure or water treatment solutions.

The overflow came to light after the city -- which prides itself as a model of environmentalism -- said it was postponing plans to release 290 million litres of untreated sewage into the Oresund strait as part of preparations for a construction project.

A commission has been appointed to decide whether to block the release, and to find concrete solutions.

"It's important to me to turn over every stone, because I want to be absolutely certain that we have done everything possible to find the best solution," Copenhagen deputy mayor in charge of the environment, Ninna Hedeager Olsen, wrote in an email to concerned Copenhagen residents, obtained by AFP.

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