30 Apr 2026
Image description: View of the Houses of Parliament in London, with a red and white boat travelling down the river Thames. Photo by Toni Pomar on Unsplash. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has announced that it is to include water regulation as part of five new inquiries, providing scrutiny of the UK government’s spending […]
09 Apr 2026
Image description: Four people wearing high vis in front of a Network Plus working site. Image credit: Network Plus. Network Plus, a utility and infrastructure services provider in Greater Manchester, is set to launch a new water industry training school after advertising this week for apprentice water operatives to join the award-winning business. United Utilities […]
17 Mar 2026
Photo by Ivan Bandura South West Water has pleaded guilty to 18 charges of water pollution spanning six years, in a prosecution brought by the Environment Agency that concluded at Plymouth Magistrates Court on 12 March 2026. Sentencing is expected on 4 June 2026. The charges relate to illegal discharges including raw sewage spills at five […]
22 Jan 2026
The government has announced a sweeping set of reforms to the water sector, described as the most significant transformation of the industry in decades. The measures, detailed in a new Water White Paper, aim to end the era of water companies “marking their own homework” by introducing a powerful new regulator and a more […]
06 Feb 2025
The consumer body for water customers says urgent action is needed to protect cash-strapped households from soaring water bills. The Consumer Council for Water (CCW) has warned many of the most financially vulnerable households will not be able to cope with a £123 (+26%) increase to the average household water and sewerage bill in England […]
06 Feb 2025
A new research article in Nature highlights “widespread tactics of disinformation, greenwashing and manufacturing doubt…” used by water companies. It argues that “the financial exploitation of water resources in England, alongside long-term degradation of infrastructure and ineffective regulation, raises globally important issues around water security, ethics and environmental stewardship. Much greater scrutiny of both industry […]
08 Jan 2025
Campaign group 38 Degrees is encouraging people to share their views on sewage by participating in a consultation that was covered in this newsletter before Christmas and relates to the Public Bill Committee, which has asked for written evidence on the Water (Special Measures) Bill by Thursday 16 January. Photo credit: Karen Laårk Boshoff […]
31 Dec 2024
The Drinking Water Inspectorate, part of Defra, has published the second 3-yearly report on the quality of drinking water supplies in England, covering 2020 to 2022. It summarises the quality of public supplies and the largest private supplies serving more than 5,000 consumers or 1,000 cubic metres (m3) a day. The Drinking Water Inspectorate regulates […]
