According to a survey of almost 1,300 staff conducted by the GMB union with the results reported in the Guardian, more than one in three UK water employees have been verbally abused at work. The results show that Workers complained that they had faced “very hostile” abuse from the public One employee said they had […]
According to Labour Party analysis of NHS hospital admissions statistics, waterborne diseases such as dysentery and Weil’s disease have risen by 60% since 2010 in England. Over the last year, 122 people were diagnosed with leptospirosis (Weil’s disease), double the number in 2010. The disease, which can lead to liver damage and kidney failure, is […]
The government has announced that fast-tracked investment of £180m over the next 12 months is expected to prevent more than 8,000 sewage spills polluting English waterways. According to Defra, it follows the Secretary of State directing water and sewage companies last December to measurably reduce sewage spills over the next year by accelerating commitments and delivering new […]
Interesting new research published in Nature-based Solutions Sitting in our own soup? Combined sewers, climate change and nature-based solutions for urban water management in Berlin Highlights Pollution impacts from combined sewer overflows (CSOs) are increasing with climate change. Interest in measures of success for future responses accompanies growing awareness of impacts. Stakeholder interviews and literature […]
Southern Water has published a new plan (in map form), setting out the company’s long-term strategy to 2050 that will restore and protect the regions’ rivers and coastal habitats. The first step is set out in the Business Plan for 2025-2030, which includes the single largest investment in the environment to date of £3.3 billion. […]
An investigation by the Guardian and Watershed Investigations has highlighted how hundreds of potentially toxic road runoff outfalls are polluting England’s rivers. No regulator is monitoring the scale of impact of dangerous chemicals on wildlife or public health. Last month, National Highways reported it had assessed its discharge points and found 1,236 outfalls and soakaways […]
The BBC reports that the UK government was defeated in the House of Lords last week, when their bid to weaken rules that protect environmentally vulnerable waters from extra nutrient pollution, a retreat from EU environmental standards, was blocked. The proposed amendment looked to scrap rules that prevent new developments from being approved if there […]
A BBC investigation has found that three water companies – Southern Water, Thames Water and Wessex Water, illegally discharged sewage hundreds of times last year on days when it was not raining. The practice, known as “dry spilling”, is banned because it can lead to higher concentrations of sewage in waterways. The BBC says that […]