29 Oct 2024

Image: Gilles Lagne/Pixabay   In a new study published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, an international team sampled 34 groups of short-beaked and long-beaked common dolphins amounting to thousands of individuals, in experiments where simulated as well as operational military sonars were activated in carefully controlled conditions — or deliberately not played in […]

28 Oct 2024

The European Union (EU) has decided to request the establishment of an arbitration tribunal under the dispute settlement mechanism of the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) concerning the United Kingdom’s decision to prohibit the fishing of sandeel. The arbitration tribunal would rule on the compatibility of the measure with the TCA. The ban has […]

23 Oct 2024

Defra has announced the launch of an Independent Commission into the water sector and its regulation, in what is expected to form the largest review of the industry since privatisation. The Commission forms the next stage in the Government’s long-term approach to ensuring we have a sufficiently robust and stable regulatory framework to attract the […]

23 Oct 2024

As part of its response to Ofwat’s Draft Determinations, Water UK commissioned Oxera, an economics and finance consultancy, to engage with 30 major investors in the England and Wales water sector to understand their views on the sector and its regulatory framework. This report summarises the views expressed by these investors. Among the key findings […]

23 Oct 2024

Reported in The Guardian Bonuses for water company bosses in England and Wales rose to £9.1m this year despite record sewage discharges into rivers and seas. More than a third of that total comprised bonuses at Severn Trent, which was fined £2m this year for “reckless” pollution but lifted its bonuses to £3.36m. Thames Water […]

23 Oct 2024

The changing climate means we will see more extreme weather in the coming years, the National Drought Group heard at its latest meeting (16 October 2024), which was attended by Water Minister Emma Hardy. The Environment Agency chaired a routine meeting of the expert group in which it was confirmed that water resources are currently […]

23 Oct 2024

A water company repeatedly dumped millions of litres of raw sewage illegally into one of England’s most famous lakes over a three-year period, the BBC can reveal. More than 140 million litres of waste were pumped into Windermere between 2021 and 2023 at times when it was not permitted, our analysis shows, and United Utilities […]