27 Aug 2026
Image description: Water surface reflecting sunlight. Photo by Stuart Timms on Unsplash A Planning Inspectorate hearing into Southern Water’s applications for a drought order on the River Test and a non-essential use ban began on 25 August, as continued dry conditions place mounting pressure on water resources across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. […]
27 Aug 2026
Image description: Blue plastic and steel pipes. The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) has outlined new standards for water companies to assess, manage and report risks that could lead to a loss of drinking water supplies. This directive expands existing Drinking Water Safety Plans to include “sufficiency” risk assessments of network assets. Applying a DWSP […]
27 Aug 2026
Image description: A farmer wearing a blue shirt and orange dungarees squats next to a line of sprouting crops. Image credit: Sivalingam and Molly Vasanthakumar,Woodland Farm National Drought Group to meet weekly as drought conditions persist The National Drought Group has moved to weekly meetings as drought conditions continue to intensify, despite the recent […]
20 Aug 2026
Photo by Sarah Doffman on Unsplash The UK Government has published a revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which introduces a dedicated flood risk and coastal change chapter (Policies F1-F9), bringing greater visibility and structure to flood risk planning policy. The framework introduces policy W1, which requires development plans to be informed by early […]
20 Aug 2026
Photo by Emma Wurfel on Unsplash Thames Water on alert to re-activate UK’s only mainland desalination plant The UK’s only mainland desalination plant may be restarting operations later this year, says Thames Water. The utility firm, which operates the plant in Beckton, east London, is on alert to activate the facility as London reservoir […]
20 Aug 2026
Photo by Johnny Such on Unsplash The UK government announced a £65mn funding package on Friday (14 August), to improve water access and drought resilience for struggling farmers. The measures announced include up to £15 million for on-farm reservoirs and plans to make it easier to develop new water storage infrastructure. Using the “C” word […]
20 Aug 2026
Photo by Tom Wheatley on Unsplash Where are the water company emergency drought plans? The Guardian reports that the UK government is being accused of acting irresponsibly by refusing to publish water companies’ emergency drought plans. Water firms are required to publish statutory drought plans every five years to set out how they will […]
13 Aug 2026
Image description: A hand holding a glass under a running tap to fill it with water. Image by Swanky Fella on Unsplash Hundreds of residents in blocks of flats in east London have been left without regular running water for more than seven months, as suspicions are raised whether a development in the area may […]
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