21 May 2026
Image description: Someone cleaning their hands using a wet wipe, with rolling fields in the background. Image by Ekaterina Ershova from Pixabay. A landmark ban is approaching – but many don’t know it With England’s ban on plastic-containing wet wipes due to come into force on 19 May 2027, the water sector is stepping up calls for […]
30 Apr 2026
Image description: Torso wearing a white t-shirt and with blonde hair, holding up a glass of water. Photo by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash Water UK has issued a statement calling on the government to ban the manufacturing of non-essential PFAS and to strengthen the application of the “polluter pays” principle in tackling PFAS contamination. […]
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: 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 […]
27 Mar 2025
Raw sewage was released into England’s rivers and seas for a record 3.61 million hours last year as Labour calls the new figures “disgraceful”. The Rivers Trust analysis of Environment Agency spill data counted 450,398 discharges. While the number of sewage spills by water companies marginally decreased compared to 2023, each spill lasted longer on […]
24 May 2023
As reported in last week’s news, Water UK has apologised on behalf of English water companies for sewage in rivers and announced a plan to: Triple investment to £10bn in the next five year period (subject to regulatory approval) to cut sewage overflows by up to 140,000 each year compared to the level in 2020. […]
05 Apr 2023
Looking ahead to the official release of storm overflow monitoring data Stuart Colville gives the industry perspective on the expected fall in spills. There were fewer overflow spills last year into rivers and seas, and the average spill was shorter The length of overflow spills reduced by a third, while the number of individual overflow […]
08 Feb 2023
Average yearly water and sewerage bills in England and Wales are forecast to rise by £31 (7.5%) to £448 in the forthcoming year, below inflation (November CPIH inflation, which regulators set as the benchmark, was 9.3%). Water bills remain lower, in real terms, than they were a decade ago. Read more at Water UK The […]
