09 Jul 2026
New automatic penalties introduced in water company crackdown
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 […]
02 Jul 2026
How Paris is harnessing the Seine to replace air-con and reduce urban heat islands
Image description: The Eiffel tower can be seen in the background of the River Seine. Photo by Grant Van Cleemput on Unsplash How the system works Paris operates one of the world’s largest district cooling networks, comprising 120km of underground pipes that distribute chilled water drawn from the Seine to over 600 buildings, including hospitals, schools, museums, […]
02 Jul 2026
Ireland’s drinking water quality is high, but treatment resilience remains a concern
Photo description: Water from a tap overflowing into a glass. Image by Ralf Ruppert from Pixabay Overall compliance remains strong Ireland’s environmental protection agency (EPA) has published its drinking water quality in public supplies 2025 report, covering performance across the public water network managed by Uisce Éireann. Microbiological compliance reached 99.8% of samples tested, while chemical standards were met in […]
02 Jul 2026
Public support for smart metering undermined by critical communication gap
Photo description: View looking down at someone’s hands rinsing a metal cup in a sink. Photo by Laura Ohlman on Unsplash The rollout and its strategic context Water companies across England and Wales are committed to fitting approximately half of all homes with a smart meter by 2030, forming a central component of the sector’s demand […]
02 Jul 2026
Data centres emerge as a growing target for climate-related water litigation
Image description: A wooden Judge’s gavel against a black back drop. Photo by Sasun Bughdaryan on Unsplash A new litigation frontier The LSE Grantham Research Institute’s latest annual review of global climate litigation identifies data centre water consumption and energy sourcing as one of the next major frontiers for climate-related legal action around the world. In 2025 […]
02 Jul 2026
Environment Agency publishes landmark report on agriculture’s water quality impact
Photo description: hay bales laid in rows on a field. Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash Scale of the problem Agriculture remains the single largest source of water pollution in England, adversely affecting around 40% of water bodies nationally and contributing approximately 60% of nitrogen and 28% of phosphorus in rivers in England and Wales. The Environment […]
01 Jul 2026
New four-year campaign confronts England’s looming five billion litre deficit
Photo description: Someone’s torso wearing jeans and a black t-shirt, spraying a hose. Photo by Delia Giandeini on Unsplash The scale of the challenge A major new public engagement initiative, Let’s Save Water, has launched with backing from leading scientists, environmental bodies, and water industry figures, as new research reveals just one in 10 (11%) adults in England […]
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