28 Jun 2022

The Our Phosphorus Future report is the most comprehensive global analysis of the challenges and possible solutions to the phosphorus crisis to date. It has been written by a team of 40 international experts from 17 countries led by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) and the University of Edinburgh and is supported by the […]

28 Jun 2022

The Guardian has reported that guidance that would have allowed farmers to spread manures and slurry on land in a way that would overload it with nutrients and risk pollution of rivers, lakes and coastal waters has been changed by Defra, after a challenge over its lawfulness. Manures, which include sewage sludge, abattoir waste and […]

16 Jun 2022

A report from lawyers Leigh Day and the Guardian have covered the news that Wild Justice files legal claim over Ofwat’s failure to step in and prevent discharges of untreated sewage into rivers. Wild Justice has stepped up a legal campaign against Ofwat for failing to ensure sewage treatment plants are fit for purpose with […]

01 Jun 2022

Microplastics in sewage: a toxic combination that is poisoning our land By George Monbiot Policy failure and lack of enforcement have left Britain’s waterways and farmland vulnerable to ‘forever chemicals’ We have recently woken up to a disgusting issue. Rather than investing properly in new sewage treatment works, water companies in the UK – since […]

18 May 2022

From the Guardian A criminal investigation into water companies in England has uncovered suspected widespread illegal sewage discharges from treatment plants, the Environment Agency has revealed. The investigation into more than 2,200 water treatment plants run by all 10 water companies is examining whether the firms breached legal regulations about when and how frequently they are allowed to release […]

11 May 2022

The Guardian reports that the Liberal Democrats condemn ‘environment scandal’ as party releases figures compiled from Environment Agency data Untreated sewage was discharged into England’s coastal bathing waters for more than 160,000 hours last year, according to figures collated by the Liberal Democrats to mark the start of the summer sea-swimming season. Data compiled by […]

11 May 2022

Sewage flooding a river for hours was blamed on Anglian Water’s slow response to the incident. The company has been fined £18,000 for failures at a pumping station near Peterborough that an investigation said showed up their “reactive attitude” to pollution. District judge Ken Sheraton said Anglian Water should have given “a higher category of […]

11 May 2022

UK retailer Boots has vowed to stop selling all wet wipes that contain plastic fibres by the end of the year, Sky News reported. The pharmacy chain is one of the biggest sellers of wet wipes in the country, with more than 140 different brands stocked across skincare, baby, tissue and health care categories. After selling […]