22 May 2025

  Image description: Radcliffe Camera in Radcliffe square, Oxford. Image by Lina Kivaka / Pixabay.   Major flood defences designed to protect all homes, businesses and crucial infrastructure in Oxford at risk of flooding from the River Thames have been approved by the government. The Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme will be built along the River Thames […]

15 May 2025

Image description: Plastic items littered on a beach with waves in the background.   Researchers at the Amber Centre in Trinity College have revealed “the stress” applied in making everyday products such as plastic bottles and containers that causes them to shred micro-plastic particles, ending up in the environment and bodies. When factories mould plastics […]

15 May 2025

Image description: A river damn with trees and a grey sky in the background. Image by Marta Wave / Pexels.   The Dam Removal Europe 2024 report showcases the growing momentum behind the removal of dams and other river barriers. For the first time, removals surpassed 500 in a single year, soaring to a new […]

15 May 2025

Image description: The River Itchen, a chalk stream that runs through Hampshire, bordered by grassy banks and lined with trees. Image by Philip Enticknap.   The call for an amendment  A cross-party attempt to give chalk streams, a globally rare ecosystem, the strongest protections as irreplaceable habitats failed after all the Labour MPs on the […]

15 May 2025

Image description: The River Thames and parliament buildings. Image by SevenStorm JUHASZIMRUS / Pexels.   Thames Water faces MP select committee Thames Water’s Chris Weston (CEO), Sir Adrian Montague (Chair), and Steve Buck (CFO) were questioned by MPs at a select committee hearing in parliament, amid public outrage over the costs and operation of water […]

15 May 2025

Image description: Close up shot of a silver tap with running water. Image by ClickerHappy / Pexels.   Water sector needs £270 Bn investment over 25 years In response to the call for evidence issued by the Independent Commission on the Water Sector Regulatory System, Ofwat presented new findings on the changes needed to make […]

08 May 2025

Image description: Close up shot of dry and barren soil. Image by Markus Spiske / Pexels   The Environment Agency (EA) has urged water companies to do more to safeguard water supplies, and people should start rationing their water use, after the driest start to spring in 69 years. The government has also asked the […]

08 May 2025

Image description: Merlin Hanbury-Tenison, founder of the Thousand Year Trust, sitting on a tree trunk with his dog, wearing a blue shirt, jeans and brown hat. Photograph: Bex Aston/The Observer   Scaling up and restoring the connections between Britain’s rainforests is key to their long-term survival in the face of climate change. Planting native trees […]