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 […]

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 […]