31 Dec 2024

The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) has concluded that there have been failures to comply with environmental law by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Environment Agency (EA) and Ofwat following an investigation into the regulation of network combined sewer overflows (CSOs). The OEP has sent each of the public authorities […]

31 Dec 2024

The boss of Southern Water has apologised after parts of Southampton and Eastleigh experienced either low pressure or a loss of water supply The company blamed a technical issue at the Testwood Water Supply Works, which left customers dependent on bottled water. CEO Lawrence Gosden said that “it was the single biggest water supply incident […]

31 Dec 2024

The Drinking Water Inspectorate, part of Defra, has published the second 3-yearly report on the quality of drinking water supplies in England, covering 2020 to 2022. It summarises the quality of public supplies and the largest private supplies serving more than 5,000 consumers or 1,000 cubic metres (m3) a day. The Drinking Water Inspectorate regulates […]

31 Dec 2024

A complete ban on use of bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides has moved a step closer after the government set out its plans to deliver a key election pledge. Despite being banned from general use in the UK, the last government authorised the use of neonicotinoids every year for the last four years in England via a […]

31 Dec 2024

According to a Watershed Investigation, bathing waters across the UK are awash with pharmaceuticals, pesticides, industrial chemicals, harmful bacteria and genes that can create superbugs resistant to antibiotics, including medicines used as a last line of defence. In collaboration with the University of York, citizen scientists and Surfers Against Sewage, hundreds of samples were taken […]

30 Dec 2024

For the first time, the Coastal Futures conference is offering a range of free side-events for registered delegates, including: Poster exhibition:A room dedicated to more than twenty posters from the UK’s leading ocean and coastal practitioners. Photo exhibition: An exhibition that invites you to reflect on our commercial fishing industry and the contributions it makes to […]

30 Dec 2024

Scottish fishing chiefs have warned their industry faces a twin threat to its future in 2025. Offshore wind farms in the North Sea and the prime minister’s ambitions to “reset” relations between the UK and European Union are major dangers for the sector, they say. Scotland’s fishing sector is at risk of being “crushed” unless […]

30 Dec 2024

A decade ago, T. J. Pitcher and W. W. L. Cheung highlighted the dichotomy in perceptions regarding the status of global fisheries, presenting a challenging outlook on the long-term sustainability of fisheries (Pitcher and Cheung, 2013). Their analysis underscored the pressures that marine ecosystems and fisheries are facing, arguing that without significant shifts toward ecosystem-based […]