05 Oct 2023

There have been numerous recent incidents of blue-green algae at the UK’s largest lake in County Armagh and elsewhere across Northern Ireland. Reported by the BBC and elsewhere, the situation at the lake, which provides 40% of Northern Ireland’s drinking water, has become a political issue. There have been 168 confirmed reports of toxic blue-green […]

05 Oct 2023

Last week saw the publication by Ofwat of the Water Company Performance Report 2022-23, which focused on the £114mn that companies will be forced to pay back customers for poor performance. The Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey has issued a strongly worded statement, calling the “extremely disappointing”. She says: “While I acknowledge there is good work […]

05 Oct 2023

Defra has published the summary of responses and government response to the recent consultation on UK mandatory water efficiency labelling. There were a total of 98 responses to the consultation. The majority of respondents supported the introduction of a standalone mandatory water efficiency labelling to deliver the policy, with 74% of the responses agreeing or […]

05 Oct 2023

The number of people who live in urban areas in the UK is expected to increase over the next decade, while the total provision of green spaces is expected to substantially decline, as infrastructure increases to meet the needs of a growing population. The EFRA (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) Committee’s inquiry will focus on […]

05 Oct 2023

Covered in Arab News RIYADH: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced on Monday that the Kingdom is establishing a global water organization, which is to be based in Riyadh, to enhance efforts to address water challenges. The organization aims to integrate and aid attempts made by governments and other bodies to secure global water […]

26 Sep 2023

Ofwat has published the Water Company Performance Report 2022-23. It looks at the performance of the 17 largest water and wastewater companies in England and Wales across a set of key performance and expenditure metrics. According to Ofwat, “Under-performance by the majority of water and wastewater companies in England and Wales, will mean companies have […]

26 Sep 2023

Last week’s speech by the Prime Minister on Net Zero provoked criticism from many organisations and commentators, but Kathryn Brown at the Wildlife Trusts wrote a great deconstruction of the government’s muddled thinking on climate change and the environment. Key points The government’s announcement will significantly increase household energy bills The Prime Minister will scrap […]

26 Sep 2023

Wildlife campaigners are warning that harmful neonicotinoid pesticide levels can be found in rivers around England, according to new research published today (22 September). The warning comes as environmental groups wait to hear if one banned toxic neonicotinoid pesticide – Thiamethoxam – will be approved by the Government for English sugar beet farm use for […]