06 May 2026
Image description: Aerial view of a port in Gibraltar. Photo by Michal Mrozek on Unsplash In an exclusive report, the Guardian reveals that Gibraltar, a British overseas territory, has never operated a wastewater treatment plant, meaning raw sewage from nearly 40,000 people and businesses has been discharged untreated into the Mediterranean Sea for decades. Untreated […]
23 Apr 2026
Photo by Martin King on Unsplash United Utilities and the Environment Agency (EA) are going to place two monitoring buoys into Lake Windermere in Cumbria next week, as part of a year-long study to continuously assess the body of water. United Utilities has said the trial would help it and the Environment Agency (EA) […]
15 Apr 2026
Image description: People walking past the Palace of Westminster in the rain. Photo by Heidi Fin on Unsplash Calls for a referendum on water company ownership Two campaigners who prominently featured in the recent Channel 4 docudrama Dirty Business have launched a petition calling for a referendum on water company ownership. As reported in the BBC, Ash Smith and […]
15 Apr 2026
Image description: Water flowing from a concrete pipe. Photo by Abdullah Wafiyy on Unsplash. The trade association for the water industry, Water UK, has published its assessment of whether water companies are able to spend enough on maintaining their infrastructure. New analysis presented at a conference of engineers, economists and government policy officials in London last month suggests the answer may be […]
02 Apr 2026
Image description: A person wearing black signing a document, with papers spread across a table, Photo by Dimitri Karastelev on Unsplash A fine-free window in exchange for investment commitments Thames Water is reported to be close to an agreement with Ofwat that would shield the company from new fines for four years, provided it […]
02 Apr 2026
Image description: Two people shaking hands across a desk in an interview. Photo by Mina Rad on Unsplash. New rules have come into force from 1 April 2026, requiring new water company executives to pass a fit and proper person test to hold these senior positions, and ensure consumers are properly centred in companies’ decision […]
02 Apr 2026
Image description: Two large pipes extend into choppy ocean water. Image by Jennifer Simmons / Unsplash Water companies released raw sewage into England’s rivers and seas almost 300,000 times last year, equivalent to a 35% reduction in spill numbers compared with 2024, according to the latest Environment Agency (EA) figures. Alongside a substantial fall in average spills […]
19 Mar 2026
Image description: A child standing on a paddleboard wearing a green safety jacket and brightly-coloured swimming trunks. Photo by Ben White on Unsplash The deterioration of water quality in the UK’s largest lake now threatens to intersect with another public health crisis, the rise of bacteria resistant to antibiotics, the so called ‘Superbugs’. As […]
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