05 Mar 2026
Image description: A polluted river with a plastic bottle floating on the surface. Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash Thousands of serious pollution incidents by water companies in England were allegedly downgraded by Environment Agency (EA) staff without visiting to investigate, the Guardian has exclusively revealed via a whistleblower’s account. New data was unearthed […]
05 Mar 2026
Image description: A landscape photo of a section of the River Thames at sunrise. Photo by Paul Macallan on Unsplash The Environment Agency and the University of Stirling have published a new report on the links between phosphorus concentrations and ecology in English rivers. While phosphorus is an essential nutrient for the growth of […]
19 Feb 2026
Image description: A wide view of a lake, grass and mountains in Cockermouth Cumbria. Photo by Joy Roxas on Unsplash Discovery and investigation of ‘toxic pollution hotspots’ The Guardian has exclusively revealed a number of ‘toxic pollution hotspots’ has been uncovered across Cumbria and Lancashire, with high levels of the banned cancer-causing “forever chemical” Pfos detected in rivers and groundwater at 25 sites. Pfos is a type of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (Pfas), […]
13 Jan 2026
Photo by Chris Mitchell A pollution incident involving millions of plastic bio-beads washing ashore on Sussex beaches has been upgraded to the most serious Category 1 classification by the Environment Agency. The move means Southern Water could face the most severe set of sanctions following investigation into the incident. The micro-beads were accidentally released […]
18 Dec 2025
Image description: aerial view of Photo by Patrick Federi on Unsplash The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) has identified significant failures in how the government and regulators oversee untreated sewage discharges, warning that current practices may not comply with environmental law. In a series of reports published following an extensive investigation, the watchdog concluded […]
18 Dec 2025
Image description: Aerial view of a green combine harvester harvesting a field. Image by Scott Goodwill on Unsplash The government is facing growing calls to overhaul the laws governing the spreading of treated sewage sludge on agricultural land, following new evidence of widespread public concern regarding food safety and river health. On Tuesday, campaigners […]
11 Dec 2025
Image description: cars driving through roads which have flooded. Image by Chris “CJ” Johnson / pixabay. A new analysis by the BBC has revealed thousands of flood defences meant to protect multiple homes or businesses in England were below the required condition when winter began. The exclusive figures obtained by the BBC show that, […]
04 Dec 2025
The UK Government has published its revised Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP), setting out a new five-year roadmap to tackle the nature and climate crisis while creating a greener and more prosperous future. The plan is required under the Environment Act and is designed to meet targets to restore the natural environment. Water at the […]
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