The Guardian reports on a Raw deal: discontent is rising as water companies pump sewage into UK waters Sky News says ‘Sewage pumped into sea’ turns idyllic Cornwall cove brown in dramatic footage described as ‘shocking’ And Southern Water apparently ‘dumps sewage 493 times in eight days at bathing beaches’ according to The Guardian Only […]

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UK Government launch Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction plan Defra have announced the new storm overflows discharge reduction plan, which sets stringent new targets to protect people and the environment. This will require water companies to deliver the largest infrastructure programme in water company history. As we have previously covered, the announcement follows a series of […]

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The Wales Better River Quality Taskforce action plans have been launched, which will lead efforts to improve public understanding of storm overflows in Wales and their impact on river water quality. CCW – along with Afonydd Cymru – will be providing independent advice and scutinising the work of the taskforce, which includes Welsh Government, Natural Resources […]

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Wastewater companies have set out how they are going to cut the harm they cause to rivers, following calls from the regulator and concerns from the public. Ofwat has posted a statement welcoming the immediate commitments to tackle these issues alongside areas for improvement. The Ofwat statement reads: ‘Ofwat is pleased to see some companies have committed […]

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The DEFRA’s Consultation on the Government’s Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan closed on 12 May. The deadline for responses to the DEFRA Consultation on Environmental Targets has been extended to 27 June. DEFRA is currently consulting on proposals for a series of legally-binding, long-term environmental targets in England. In accordance with the Environment Act 2021 […]

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Demonstrating a welcome shift in attitude from the Government on water quality, Ministers have agreed with the majority of the recommendations in the Environmental Audit Committee report, Water quality in rivers. Read the Government Response Read the Report: Water Quality in Rivers Inquiry: Water Quality in Rivers Environmental Audit Committee The Government and the water […]

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From the Guardian A criminal investigation into water companies in England has uncovered suspected widespread illegal sewage discharges from treatment plants, the Environment Agency has revealed. The investigation into more than 2,200 water treatment plants run by all 10 water companies is examining whether the firms breached legal regulations about when and how frequently they are allowed to release […]

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From the Guardian Water companies discharged raw sewage into English rivers 372,533 times last year, a slight reduction on the previous year. The water companies covering England released untreated sewage for a combined total of more than 2.7m hours; compared with 3.1m hours in 2020, according to data released by the Environment Agency (EA) on […]

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