07 Jan 2025

The Scottish Seafood Association (SSA) has voiced support for the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF) and their recent statement regarding the urgent need to safeguard the future of fishing and processing communities. SFF warned recently that their industry faces a twin threat to its future in 2025. Offshore wind farms in the North Sea and the prime minister’s ambitions to […]

07 Jan 2025

Fishermen in Cornwall fear proposals for offshore wind farms could destroy their businesses and pose the “greatest change” the fishing industry has ever faced. David Stevens, a fisherman and member of the Cornwall Fish Producers Organisation, says the proposals for the area where he fishes would “close down around 60% to 70%” of the waters. […]

31 Dec 2024

An investigation by The Guardian has found that Thames Water intentionally diverted millions of pounds pledged for environmental clean-ups towards other costs including bonuses and dividends. The company, which serves more than 16 million customers, cut the funds after senior managers assessed the potential risks of such a move. Discussions – held in secret – […]

31 Dec 2024

Just before Christmas, the government (Defra and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government) published a Planning Reform Working Paper. The paper invites views on the government’s proposed new approach to development and nature recovery. It forms part of a series of working papers on different aspects of planning reform, designed to inform further […]

31 Dec 2024

The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) has concluded that there have been failures to comply with environmental law by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Environment Agency (EA) and Ofwat following an investigation into the regulation of network combined sewer overflows (CSOs). The OEP has sent each of the public authorities […]

31 Dec 2024

The boss of Southern Water has apologised after parts of Southampton and Eastleigh experienced either low pressure or a loss of water supply The company blamed a technical issue at the Testwood Water Supply Works, which left customers dependent on bottled water. CEO Lawrence Gosden said that “it was the single biggest water supply incident […]

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 […]

31 Dec 2024

A complete ban on use of bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides has moved a step closer after the government set out its plans to deliver a key election pledge. Despite being banned from general use in the UK, the last government authorised the use of neonicotinoids every year for the last four years in England via a […]