30 Jul 2026
Photo credit: Photoholgic on Unsplash The Environment Agency has declared drought across seven regions of England, covering just over half the country, following what is set to be the driest July on record. The declaration moves East Anglia, Hertfordshire and North London, Thames, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Devon and Cornwall, the West Midlands and […]
23 Jul 2026
Photo credit: Daniele Levis Pelusi The Environment Agency has confirmed that it is bringing criminal proceedings against Southern Water Services Limited, four former employees and three further individuals, following an Administrative Court judgment on 22 July that upheld the Agency’s power to prosecute for offences connected to its regulatory functions. The four former staff, including former chief executive […]
23 Jul 2026
Photo credit: Galina Kondratenko Thames Water’s Temporary Use Ban came into force at 00:01 on Thursday 23 July, taking the number of people affected by hosepipe restrictions across England and Wales to about 23 million, according to the Guardian. The ban applies across Thames Water’s entire drinking water supply area, covering roughly 10 million customers […]
21 Jul 2026
Photo Credit: AdobeStock Southern Water has been fined £7,127,083 at Canterbury Crown Court for a series of illegal sewage discharges from pumping stations at Margate and Broadstairs between 2019 and 2021 that led Thanet District Council to close beaches at the height of successive summers. The company pleaded guilty earlier this year to 13 […]
16 Jul 2026
Photo credit: Anthony de Sigley – Own work, Public Domain Southern Water has pleaded guilty to two environmental permit breaches after a dark plume of pollution entered the River Test in Hampshire. The company admitted the charges at Medway Magistrates Court on 14 July, with two further charges to be taken into consideration. Sentencing will follow at […]
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 […]
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: 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 […]
