19 Jun 2025

 Image description: River running through stones. Photo by kazuend on Unsplash   The Environment Department (Defra) said more than £100 million in fines and penalties levied on water firms for breaches such as illegal sewage spills since October 2023, as well as future fines, will be reinvested in projects to clean up England’s waters. The […]

19 Jun 2025

Image description: Wide shot of the houses of Parliament. Image by Dominika Gregušová / Pexels.   A report from the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) select committee has said bonuses and dividends for water company bosses and shareholders should be approved by the regulator Ofwat before they are paid, as billpayer funds are being […]

17 Jun 2025

Photo of a sunken ship by Wouter Naert   A team of maritime experts has commenced an in-depth survey of the World War I-era warship HMS Cassandra, sunken off the coast of Estonia in 1918. The initiative aims to assess and mitigate potential environmental hazards posed by the wreck, which lies in shallow waters approximately […]

17 Jun 2025

Photo of Istanbul by Evgeny Matveev   A new regional initiative, the “Blueing the Black Sea” Project (BBSEA), was officially launched in Istanbul on June 10, 2025. The project aims to address significant environmental challenges facing the Black Sea, including untreated wastewater, agricultural runoff, marine litter, and industrial discharge. These issues have contributed to the […]

12 Jun 2025

Image description: Aerial view of water treatment works. Image by Tom Fisk / Pexels.   Dwr Cymru Welsh Water has reported an £8m loss for the past financial year, despite a £46m profit the year before. The Water company said it had invested a record £629m in its water and wastewater network in 2024-25, and […]

12 Jun 2025

Image description: Wide shot of the houses of Parliament. Image by Dominika Gregušová / Pexels.   The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) heard evidence in person earlier this week from senior executives at Ofwat, Water UK, CCW, DEFRA and the Environment Agency as part of its current inquiry into water sector regulation. In […]

12 Jun 2025

Image description: sewage outfalls emptying into the ocean. Image by Tom Fisk.   Unfair bonuses banned The government has confirmed “unfair bonuses” have been banned for six water companies with immediate effect, following new measures from the Water (Special Measures) Act coming into force. The government said that in the past 10 years, executives at […]

05 Jun 2025

Image Description: Water treatment facility from a birds-eye view. Image by Tom Fisk.   The Independent Water Commission has released its interim report, ahead of its final findings due in the Summer. Sir Jon Cunliffe, Chair of the Commission, has set out five areas where he believes wide-ranging and fundamental change is needed to reset […]