01 Oct 2026
Image description: A line of stepping stones cutting across Ogmore River near Bridgend. Photo by Lisa Baker on Unsplash The Environment Agency’s latest weekly summary shows no change to drought status in England. Ten of its areas remain in drought and the rest are in prolonged dry weather. By 22 September, England had received […]
01 Oct 2026
Photo description: A view over Plymouth Hoe from Plymouth Sound, UK. Photo by Patrick Owen PR on Unsplash. South West Water was fined £7,867,733 at Plymouth Magistrates’ Court on 29 September in a case brought by the Environment Agency. The offences took place in Devon and Cornwall between January 2015 and July 2021. The […]
24 Sep 2026
Image description: Groups of people enjoying the beach at Whitstable. Photo by Seongyeon Jo on Unsplash Southern Water has been fined £2.4m following multiple pollution incidents affecting coastal and freshwater environments around Faversham and Whitstable between 2019 and 2021. The prosecution, heard at Bromley Magistrates’ Court, is the Environment Agency’s second successful action against the […]
24 Sep 2026
Image description: A flooded town under a grey sky, taken during the Bingley Boxing Day floods in 2015. Photo by Chris Gallagher on Unsplash A growing threat to critical infrastructure The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee has launched a call for evidence as part of its wider inquiry into climate adaptation and emergency response, […]
24 Sep 2026
Image description: Panoramic views of yellowed fields Hertfordshire’s rural heartland. Photo by Jan Kraus on Unsplash Wildlife in England and Wales will be affected by the current drought for years to come, the government has said. The warnings come following the latest meeting of the National Drought Group of ministers, officials, water companies, […]
17 Sep 2026
Image description: A judge’s gavel on a wooden table. Photo by Sasun Bughdaryan on Unsplash The former chief executive of Southern Water has appeared in court charged with conspiracy to defraud, facing allegations water quality tests were manipulated to avoid millions of pounds in penalties. The BBC reports that Matthew Wright, 60, who denies […]
17 Sep 2026
Image description: Devon fields during the summer 2026 drought. The grass is yellowed, with green hedgerows and a house in the background. Photo by Veronica White on Unsplash There is roughly a one-in-four chance that around half of the country will still be in drought by spring 2027, according to new analysis presented to […]
10 Sep 2026
Image description: An aerial view of Blackpool north pier. Photo by Mark mc neill on Unsplash United Utilities (UU) Water Ltd has been fined £964,225 for a sewage leak which led the Environment Agency (EA) to issue swimming bans along a stretch of Lancashire’s coastline. The water company pleaded guilty to five offences related […]
