Devastating pictures from the BBC. Around 200 people are dead and hundreds more remain missing after catastrophic flooding across large swaths of western Europe. Tens of thousands are unable to return to their homes or without access to power and drinking water. The flooding, caused by unprecedented rainfall, has hit parts of western Germany, as well as neighbouring Belgium and the Netherlands. […]
Projects to restore kelp forests, create new woodland, deliver natural flood risk management, and improve water quality are among an initial 27 schemes to benefit from a pioneering new fund to drive private investment in nature and tackle climate change, Defra, the Environment Agency & Natural England have announced today (14 July 2021). Read more […]
The European Commission has set out its ‘Fit for 55’ proposals. All 27 EU Member States have pledged to reduce emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels, and committed to turning the EU into the first climate neutral continent by 2050. it is part of the European Green Deal, which set […]
Following the industry agreement (through Water UK) to achieve net zero emissions from English water companies by 2030, several water companies have set out plans to get there. The plans highlight progress on energy efficiency, renewable generation, demand management, sequestration schemes and more, but also rely heavily on purchasing renewables and offsetting. Read the plans […]
From WaterBriefing David Black, Interim Chief Executive at Ofwat has said that the transformation of the UK water sector over the next 30 years will require significant new investment. Speaking at a conference on water security last week, he told his audience that looking ahead to 2050, a step change in outcomes was required, including: […]
The Rivers Trust has given its reaction to the Environment Agency environmental performance report on the water industry. THE RIVERS TRUST RESPONSE TO WATER AND SEWERAGE COMPANY ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE REPORT: WINNING SLOWLY IS THE SAME AS LOSING The Environment Agency published its Environmental Performance Report for water and sewerage companies today, assessing nine water companies’ […]
Southern Water has been sentenced to pay record £90 million in fines for widespread pollution after pleading guilty to 6,971 unpermitted sewage discharges. Southern Water has been handed a record £90 million fine after pleading guilty to thousands of illegal discharges of sewage which polluted rivers and coastal waters in Kent, Hampshire and Sussex. The […]
The EA has released ‘Water and sewerage companies in England: environmental performance for 2020’. Chair’s foreword The progress made against the Environmental Performance Assessment’s (EPA) metrics over the last 5 years shows that clear targets and regulatory focus combined with investment in the environment delivers change. From 2020’s results there is welcome news that for […]