The BBC reports that the UK government was defeated in the House of Lords last week, when their bid to weaken rules that protect environmentally vulnerable waters from extra nutrient pollution, a retreat from EU environmental standards, was blocked. The proposed amendment looked to scrap rules that prevent new developments from being approved if there […]
A BBC investigation has found that three water companies – Southern Water, Thames Water and Wessex Water, illegally discharged sewage hundreds of times last year on days when it was not raining. The practice, known as “dry spilling”, is banned because it can lead to higher concentrations of sewage in waterways. The BBC says that […]
A major new Unearthed investigation highlights how sewage is affecting nature. According to Greenpeace, the investigation has revealed that sewage poured into England and Wales’ most-precious conservation sites for more than 300,000 hours in 2022. Over the past five months, Unearthed has been conducting an analysis of data on water companies’ sewage spills in sites […]
Preventing excessive sewage discharges requires long-term decision-making, according to a new ICE insight paper. Sewage discharges into the UK’s rivers and onto beaches have attracted significant attention recently. They have increased in many areas due to urban expansion, changing weather patterns, and ageing infrastructure. They occur because large parts of the UK have a combined […]