Defra has announced (10 April) that four swimming spots in England are being designated as bathing waters ahead of the warmer months and will soon benefit from regular water quality monitoring. Following a two-week public consultation, Sykes Lane Bathing Beach and Whitwell Creek at Rutland Water, Firestone Bay in Plymouth, and a section of the […]
Floods Minister Rebecca Pow has announced the first communities in England to receive better flood protection as part of the government’s £100 million Frequently Flooded Allowance to protect areas which have been affected by repeated flooding. The first 53 projects announced today will be allocated more than £26 million in total, better protecting more than […]
The government has published its Plan for Water, which it says highlights “more investment, stronger regulation and tougher enforcement on water companies” But the issue of storm overflows continues to dominate, as the Environment Agency published sewage spill data for 2022, showing a 19% reduction in the number of sewage spills, largely due to last […]
According to the government, it has set out “a new plan to clean up our waters and ensure a plentiful supply for the future”. Specific measures include £1.6 billion investment brought forward to speed up vital water infrastructure projects a commitment to consult on a ban on the use of plastic in wet wipes fines […]
The Data Services Platform is provided by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and its agencies. It supports open access to environmental data for: the public partner organisations, their staff and contractors The platform provides: open data feeds application programming interfaces (APIs), built on linked data, which are aimed at system and […]
Defra and the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) have released reports which review progress made in meeting the aims of the East Inshore and Offshore Marine Plans and the UK Marine Policy Statement. The East Marine Plans’ inshore area has a coastline that stretches from Flamborough Head in Yorkshire to Felixstowe town in Suffolk. The offshore area covers from […]
The MP for Middlesbrough, Andy McDonald, posed a question to the Defra Environment Minister regarding the recent conclusions of the Expert Panel on crustacean deaths in the North East of England. Mr McDonald said: ‘ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the report by the Chief Executive of […]
Defra announced last week that four swimming areas in England have progressed to public consultation stage to be considered for bathing water designation. They are Sykes Lane bathing beach and Whitwell Creek at Rutland Water, Firestone Bay in Plymouth, and a section of the River Deben at Waldringfield, Suffolk. Read more and access the consultation, […]