30 Oct 2024

Following last week’s announcement of an Independent Commission into the water sector and its regulation, Defra has published the Terms of Reference. The government says the “sector should become one of growth and opportunity, which will restore our rivers, lakes and seas to good health, deliver a resilient and efficient water supply in the face […]

30 Oct 2024

According to The Observer, Water firms “passed” thousands of pollution tests under a self-monitoring regime … yet the tests were never even conducted, the Observer can reveal. The water firms’ own operational data for sewage plants across the country reveals how outflows of effluent had stopped – in some cases for just a few hours – on […]

30 Oct 2024

Innovative approaches to flood and coastal resilience taken by the Environment Agency, local authorities and local partners are helping to unlock significant wider social, economic and environmental benefits for people, places, and wildlife. The Environment Agency has published its mid-programme report for its £200 million Flood and Coastal Innovation Programmes. The report details what has been […]

30 Oct 2024

The Climate Change Committee (CCC) has offered advice on the level of the country’s 2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the UK Government, at the request of Secretary of State for Energy, Ed Miliband.     The CCC recommends that the UK’s NDC commits to reduce territorial greenhouse gas emissions by 81% from 1990 to 2035. This is based […]

30 Oct 2024

As the COP16 Convention on Biological Diversity continues in Colombia, there is new data from CDP showing that there has been a 20% increase in the number of companies measuring and reporting how their operations and value chains impact nature over the past year. There has also been a 24% increase in companies evaluating their water […]

30 Oct 2024

Thames Water has secured a £3 billion loan, ensuring the company can continue to operate into 2025. The fresh funds are meant to act as “liquidity bridge” to “stabilise the business” and give it time to secure long-term investment, its chief executive, Chris Weston, said on Friday. It will further balloon its operating company’s debt […]

30 Oct 2024

Severn Trent has launched a new incentive scheme in partnership with Nectar360, which owns and operates Nectar, rewarding customers for adopting a smart meter and reducing their water usage. The scheme will see Nectar account holders rewarded with extra points for demonstrating lower water usage through their smart meters.   Photo credit: Neal Smith   […]

23 Oct 2024

Defra has announced the launch of an Independent Commission into the water sector and its regulation, in what is expected to form the largest review of the industry since privatisation. The Commission forms the next stage in the Government’s long-term approach to ensuring we have a sufficiently robust and stable regulatory framework to attract the […]