07 Apr 2022
Main changes to existing approach: 1. A new annual £4 million competition for early-stage ideas direct to innovators. We propose to allocate a portion of funding (about £4 million a year) to a new competition focused on enabling and supporting earlier stage idea development. This new competition will target primarily innovators and not require a […]
31 Mar 2022
Consultation on the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan outlines a step change in how water companies tackle the number of discharges of untreated sewage. Water companies will face strict limits on when they can use storm overflows and must completely eliminate the ecological harm any storm sewage discharges cause to the environment and significantly reduce […]
31 Mar 2022
Policy paper: The UK Government has published as final the Strategic Policy Statement (SPS) for Ofwat. The Strategic policy statement sets out the government’s priorities for Ofwat’s regulation of the water industry in England. Ofwat must carry out its functions in accordance with this statement. This is set out in Section 2A of the Water Industry Act […]
31 Mar 2022
A flood hydrology roadmap recently released sets out a vision to help scientists and practitioners better predict future flood events and improve flood resilience across the UK. The roadmap, which brings together the views of more than 100 experts from over 50 organisations, will improve hydrological data, models and science which can be used to inform […]
31 Mar 2022
Microplastics found in human blood for first time Microplastic pollution has been detected in human blood for the first time, with scientists finding the tiny particles in almost 80% of the people tested, the Guardian has reported. The discovery shows the particles can travel around the body and may lodge in organs. The impact on […]
31 Mar 2022
Scotland’s rivers, lochs and wetlands are being restored back to good health, thanks to support from NatureScot’s Biodiversity Challenge Fund. In the past three years, the Scottish Government has invested £3.7m in 27 freshwater and river restoration projects across the country, using innovative, nature-based solutions to help reverse biodiversity loss and mitigate against the effects […]
31 Mar 2022
Britain’s loudest bird, the “booming” bittern, is making a recovery after almost disappearing from the UK twice. The RSPB reported the birds had had a “record-breaking year” in 2021, with 228 males counted, up from 209 in 2019. Ornithologist Dr Alex Lees described it as a “spectacular conservation success story” thanks to the restoration of wetland habitats. […]
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