Last week’s floods in New York City overwhelmed drainage systems after more than two inches of rain per hour. Residents living in basements and on ground floods were particularly affected. The events were widely covered, including dramatic videos and pictures, by Sky News, the BBC, the Guardian and elsewhere.
Water company business plans have been submitted to Ofwat. The five-year plans cover the period 2025 to 2030 and collectively amount to £96 billion of proposed investment, an 88% increase on the previous five years. According to the sector body Water UK, the investment “will secure water supplies against the rising prevalence of drought, ensure […]
The Westminster government has announced that the introduction of mandatory biodiversity net gain (BNG) in England has been delayed from November until January for larger sites developed through the town and country planning system, and April 2024 for small sites. BNG will not be mandatory for national infrastructure projects until 2025. The delay has not […]
The State of Nature 2023 report shows that wildlife decline continues at an alarming rate in the UK. The report collates data from wildlife and reporting schemes to paint a comprehensive picture of biodiversity loss. The report finds a 19% average decline in UK species and one in six species at risk of extinction. The […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]