25 Sep 2024

Helen Wakeham, Director of Water, writes how public concern around pollution in England’s waterways has increased markedly in recent years, with the actions of water companies, and particularly pollution from storm overflow discharges receiving widespread attention. She says that World Rivers Day presents a good opportunity to not only take a look at the state […]

05 Sep 2024

The campaign group Fighting Dirty has lost its case against the Environment Agency at the High Court today (August 21), on the crucial issue of spreading toxic sewage sludge on farmland. The judge ruled that the Environment Agency was not obliged to change its policy when the former Conservative Secretary of State for Environment failed to act. […]

21 Aug 2024

According to The Guardian, the Environment Agency is planning to amend the Environmental Performance Assessment, tightening the rules to stop water companies from using the current highest four-star ratings to justify high CEO pay. The newspaper says that bosses presiding over companies found to “recklessly” discharge sewage have been able to justify their large pay packets because of being […]

21 Aug 2024

The Environment Agency has published a mid-programme summary of its ongoing £200m flood and coastal innovation programmes. The mid-programme headlines are as follows Flood and coastal resilience can unlock significant wider social and environmental benefits for people, places, and wildlife A lack of understanding and evidence hinders the coordination and delivery of groundwater flood risk […]

13 Aug 2024

Almost 500 different chemicals, some of which are banned, have been found in various mixtures across all 171 river and groundwater catchments tested in England in 2024, according to data from the Environment Agency, analysed by the Guardian and Watershed Investigations. More than half of them are classified as very toxic, toxic or harmful to aquatic […]

13 Aug 2024

The Environment Agency has completed a new flood risk management project to better protect hundreds of homes and businesses on the east side of Hull from flooding. Castlehill Aquagreen is a key part of the second phase of the £28 million pound Holderness Drain Flood Alleviation Scheme which when fully complete, will reduce the risk […]

07 Aug 2024

The Environment Agency and Norfolk Rivers Trust have worked together on a project along a section of the River Glaven in North Norfolk. The River Glaven is a chalk stream, that flows through North Norfolk into the North Sea, and its surrounding floodplain habitat. Chalk streams are a rare global habitat, with only 200 worldwide, […]

23 Jul 2024

The Environment Agency (EA) has published its annual report on the environmental performance of England’s nine water and sewerage companies during 2023. Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has published a similar report for Welsh companies. The EA report shows an improvement in star ratings under the Environmental Performance Assessment (EPA), but the majority of companies continue to […]