03 Sep 2026
Image description: A hand wearing a blue glove holding a test tube after sampling water from the river for analysis. The Guardian has exclusively revealed that Thames Water’s pilot tests for its proposed Teddington Direct River Abstraction (TDRA) scheme produced levels of a toxic “forever chemical” at up to 13 times the legal limit, […]
27 Aug 2026
Image description: Water surface reflecting sunlight. Photo by Stuart Timms on Unsplash A Planning Inspectorate hearing into Southern Water’s applications for a drought order on the River Test and a non-essential use ban began on 25 August, as continued dry conditions place mounting pressure on water resources across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. […]
20 Aug 2026
Photo by Jonathan Bean on Unsplash While some parts of the UK are set to receive the “first meaningful rain for a long time” in the coming days, it reportedly will not be sufficient reverse widespread drought conditions that continue to strain wildlife, farmers, firefighters and water resources. According to Environment Agency data from […]
30 Jul 2026
Photo credit: Photoholgic on Unsplash The Environment Agency has declared drought across seven regions of England, covering just over half the country, following what is set to be the driest July on record. The declaration moves East Anglia, Hertfordshire and North London, Thames, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Devon and Cornwall, the West Midlands and […]
30 Apr 2026
Image description: Hand water pump pouring out water. Photo by Jainath Ponnala on Unsplash South East Water has lost an appeal against a fine of £76,000 for extracting water from an underground source without the necessary permission from the Environment Agency (EA). For six weeks between May and June 2021, the company illegally took […]
22 Nov 2023
Water Resources West has published A thirst for collaboration, a new survey to understand the water resources issues faced by businesses with water abstraction licences. This is the first ever survey of its kind and highlights some real issues, but also a desire from abstractors to work together locally to improve water resources. Key findings […]
23 Aug 2023
United Utilities Water Limited have been fined £800,000 after illegally abstracting 22 billion litres of water from boreholes in Lancashire following a prosecution by the Environment Agency. The Guardian reports that the company breached three-year rolling limit on abstraction licence at Fylde aquifer in 2018.
17 Nov 2022
Interesting piece in The Guardian The government has “no idea” how much water is being taken from rivers and groundwater, according to an Environment Agency (EA) whistleblower, as swathes of England remain in drought despite recent heavy rainfall. The whistleblower told the Guardian that the EA’s regulation of water abstraction points for farms, small businesses and private […]
