Different electrochemical oxidation and UV irradiation treatment conditions were studied to improve the removal of colour and organic halogenated compounds of textile effluents wastewater so as to minimise their environmental impact. Synthetic dyeing effluents containing a reactive dye (Cl Reactive Black 5, Procion Crimson H-EXL, Procion Navy H-EXL, Procion Yellow H-EXL and Procion Blue H-EXL) and Na2SO4 as dyeing electrolyte were studied. Ti/Pt oxides electrodes at different current densities (3,6,12,24 and 40 mA/cm(2)) and three UV irradiation lamps (6 and 9W: 254, 360 and 365 nm maximum emission) were used. Results showed that total colour and organic halogenated compounds removal were achieved by UV irradiation after electrochemical treatment. A clear influence of current density and the type of UV lamp on colour removal was found, being the submerged lamps into the dye solution the most efficient. Kinetic constants of the UV irradiation step were calculated. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.