05 May 2022

CIWEM release new report: River water quality and storm overflows –  A systems-approach to maximising improvement Storm overflows from combined sewers and wastewater treatment works are currently discharging in thousands of locations and for millions of hours each year. Impacts on amenity and nature are unacceptable and solutions are needed. The reasons for this situation […]

20 Apr 2022

from Carvemag Thousands of people are expected to take part in the first National Day of Action on Water Quality on Saturday 23 April, a mass protest calling on water companies to end the sewage scandal polluting UK waterways. Ocean conservation charity Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) has joined forces with clean water campaign groups to organise 11 […]

31 Mar 2022

On World Water Day, the English and Welsh water regulator, Ofwat, has awarded £5.2m to innovative projects using new technology and cross-sector collaborations to improve water quality, reduce pollution and enhance services for consumers. Between now and the summer, the Water Breakthrough Challenge will award up to £39m to projects across England and Wales. The […]

10 Mar 2022

“Water is the most important thing there is” – Remarks by Sir James Bevan, Chief Executive of the Environment Agency, to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Water, 3 March 2022 “Water is about the most important thing there is: it’s essential for life and everything else. Water – its quantity and its quality – […]

15 Feb 2022

An area of the River Thames in Oxford and a coastal area in the Isle of Wight have been put forward for bathing water status. Two popular swimming areas in the Isle of Wight and the River Thames in Oxford could become new bathing water sites under plans set out in consultations. Designated bathing waters are coastal or inland […]

01 Feb 2022

Bathing water classifications for 2021 show that 99% of bathing waters in England have passed water quality standards following testing by the Environment Agency at over 400 designated sites. Of these, 94.7% of beaches and inland waters gained an ‘Excellent’ or ‘Good’ rating while 4.3% achieved the minimum ‘Sufficient’ rating. This compares with 98.3% passing […]

19 Jan 2022

Interview with Emma Howard Boyd in the ever-exciting Civil Service World. Breaking records and battling for better water quality – Environment Agency’s Emma Howard Boyd reflects on 2021 2020 may have been a year like no other, but 2021 was a chip off the old block and relentless from day one. The EA chair tells […]

12 Oct 2021

Listen at BBC Sounds Campaigners say the state of Britain’s rivers is worsening. Over half of them polluted by sewage. There’s also a problem with agricultural run-off and chemicals. What can we do? According to campaigners, Britain has some of the dirtiest rivers in Europe. Sewage, slurry from farms and chemicals are all a problem, […]