01 May 2025

Image description: Flooded road with road closed sign. Image by Connor McManus / Pexels.   Climate change committee report  The Climate Change Committee is warning that the UK is not prepared for climate change and the impacts of extreme weather, including the rising incidents of severe flooding on property and critical infrastructure. The warning comes […]

01 May 2025

Image description: Brown Wooden Gavel on Brown Wooden Table. Image by Katrin Bolovtsova / Pexels.   New laws coming into force in England and Wales could see water company executives face up to two years in prison for obstructing investigations into illegal sewage spills. Under the government’s landmark Water Act, executives who fail to meet […]

01 May 2025

Image description: Aerial shot of water treatment centre. Image by Tom Fisk.   Unprecedented challenges facing UK water sector   A critical new report by the National Audit Office (NAO) audits the three water regulators (Ofwat, the Environment Agency, and the Drinking Water Inspectorate) and Defra, which sets policies for the water sector. It examines their effectiveness […]

24 Apr 2025

Disaster planning often overlooks how people truly respond during emergencies. New research, highlighted by CIWEM, using insights from schoolchildren shows how social data can make flood evacuation strategies more effective and inclusive. In July 2021, devastating floods struck Germany and Belgium due to extreme rainfall, submerging many towns. In Germany, over 190 lives were lost, particularly in […]

24 Apr 2025

Welsh Water have called for less concrete and chemicals to be used in the drive to improve river water quality, with more emphasis on the use of schemes that use nature to do the work. A reliance on concrete or ‘grey’ systems to increase storm storage or increase wastewater treatment has resulted in high carbon […]

24 Apr 2025

Two new Bills, introduced as Private Members Bills, both with potentially significant impacts for water companies, are due to have their Second readings in Parliament on Friday 25 April 2025. Water Briefing reported that the Chalk Streams (Protection) Bill had its First reading in Parliament on 21 October 2024. The Bill addresses the creation of a […]

24 Apr 2025

Water companies should no longer be allowed to monitor their own levels of sewage pollution, the industry body has told the BBC exclusively. Instead they are proposing a new, third-party monitoring system to build consumer trust.     The recommendation is part of a submission made to the UK government’s independent review into the water […]