16 Jul 2026

Photo credit: Seiya Maeda Most people in England support hosepipe bans when water levels fall, but a substantial minority think it unfair to be asked to cut back before water companies have taken visible steps of their own. The finding comes from research by Ipsos for the Environment Agency, published on 15 July, based on a […]

16 Jul 2026

Photo credit: Luis Tosta South East Water will pay £30.5 million and submit to independent oversight following years of supply disruption across Kent and Sussex. The package concludes three Ofwat investigations into repeated supply interruptions, customer service failings and the company’s recent credit rating downgrade. It will be funded entirely by shareholders rather than through customer bills. […]

16 Jul 2026

Photo credit: Tejj The world is “living beyond our hydrological means”, the UN Secretary General has warned, saying overconsumption, pollution and climate change are driving freshwater use beyond the rate at which it can be replenished. António Guterres told ministers at the opening of the ministerial segment of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in New […]

09 Jul 2026

Photo credit: Darren Tolley   Severn Trent Water has been found in breach of its wastewater obligations, though Ofwat has decided against a financial penalty. The regulator concluded the company failed in its duties to provide drainage and manage the contents of its sewers, and had historically breached licence requirements to maintain adequate processes and systems. […]

09 Jul 2026

Photo credit: Steve Payne   More than half a million people, nationally important infrastructure and the UK’s largest port complex face increasing tidal flood risk across the Humber unless a long-term, estuary-wide approach to adaptation is delivered. Understanding Tidal Risk, published on 7 July, is the shared evidence base of the Humber 2100+ partnership, which […]

09 Jul 2026

Photo credit: Swanky Fella   Drinking water quality in England remained exceptionally high in 2025, even as ageing infrastructure and deteriorating asset health emerged as a threat to the long-term resilience of supplies. The Drinking Water Inspectorate’s Chief Inspector’s Annual Report found that 99.97 per cent of more than 3.5 million regulatory tests met the required […]

09 Jul 2026

Photo credit: Matt Boyle   The campaigner who married the River Avon in protest at sewage pollution is now leading a push to grant the river legal rights. Meg Avon, who took the river’s name after a Bristol ceremony on 17 June 2023, is working with the We Are Avon campaign and the Conham Bathing […]

09 Jul 2026

Photo credit: Ted Balmer   Water companies that break environmental rules now face faster financial penalties of up to £500,000, under changes that strengthen the Environment Agency’s enforcement powers. The reforms let the regulator use the lower civil standard of proof for minor and moderate offending, rather than the criminal standard that previously made many […]