03 Apr 2025
River being given legal rights A district council in England has passed a motion to grant its local river the rights to flow freely, to be free from pollution and to enjoy its native biodiversity. The move by Lewes District Council in East Sussex to recognise the fundamental rights of the River Ouse is the […]
27 Mar 2025
Raw sewage was released into England’s rivers and seas for a record 3.61 million hours last year as Labour calls the new figures “disgraceful”. The Rivers Trust analysis of Environment Agency spill data counted 450,398 discharges. While the number of sewage spills by water companies marginally decreased compared to 2023, each spill lasted longer on […]
11 Mar 2025
The Hidden Sands project hopes new hi-tech surveillance could improve the enforcement of sand mining regulations and improve resilience for these riverbed communities. Photo by Pok Rie Sand plays a central role in modern society (e.g. smartphones – high-purity silica sand is essential for making silicon chips) and urban development (e.g. skyscrapers – […]
11 Mar 2025
The Welsh and UK Government have announced a new £1 million joint research initiative to tackle water quality issues in the River Wye. The river, which runs for 130 miles from central Wales to the Severn Estuary, has seen its water quality and wildlife drastically decline after years of exposure to agricultural pollution, sewage discharges […]
06 Mar 2025
Photo by Sang Yun Cho / Pixabay The environmental group River Action has announced they are taking legal action against Ofwat, the water regulator, accusing it of making customers pay twice for services that have not yet been delivered. Water companies are under investigation by Ofwat for breaches to their permits, an inquiry that […]
06 Mar 2025
An image of the team restocking fish into the River Weaver A total of 4,000 fish, including chub dace and roach, have been released into the River Weaver at two key locations in Cheshire, including Mill Island Weir and downstream in “The Willows” area. The restocking aims to help replenish populations after two pollution […]
27 Feb 2025
For the first time in the UK, a Council has signed up to a River Rights Charter. Whilst not yet legally binding, the Charter provides a visionary framework that reflects both the essential needs of the river in order for it to be healthy, and local communities highest aspirations for it. Photo credit: Anne […]
27 Feb 2025
The River Thames dataset is the world’s longest continuous water quality record, providing an invaluable historical perspective on how human activity and policy can affect rivers, and sets a new benchmark for assessing modern water quality challenges. Photo credit: Nicole Rathmayr Over the past 40 years, concerted efforts to improve wastewater treatment and […]
