14 May 2024

‘Deeply concerning’ failures to properly implement regulations designed to protect rivers, lakes and coastal waters in England mean key targets for improvement will be missed, a report by the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) has found. The OEP has carried out a review of the key legislation regarding water quality – the Water Framework Directive […]

14 May 2024

A record number of swimming spots in England have been designated as bathing sites, the UK government has confirmed. There has been widespread coverage, including in BBC, ITV, The Guardian, Independent and Sky, of the government’s announcement that 27 new bathing water sites will be designated across England. The decision follows a public consultation last year. The Environment Agency […]

08 May 2024

The Thames Barrier, originally designed to last until 2030, was opened 40 years ago this week. It is one of the largest movable barriers in the world and is operated and maintained by the Environment Agency. The Barrier and the other flood defences across the wider estuary protect 125 square kilometres of central London, encompassing 1.42 million […]

24 Apr 2024

A Guardian investigation has spoken to whistleblowers who say UK water companies are knowingly failing to treat legally required amounts of sewage, and that some treatment works are manipulating wastewater systems to divert raw sewage away from the works and into rivers and seas. It is well known that water companies are dumping large volumes […]

10 Apr 2024

The Environment Agency has published its Methane Action Plan for 2024 to 2026, setting out how it will reduce methane emissions in England. The Agency will use our powers as an environmental regulator and share knowledge and good practice to reduce methane emissions in the UK and internationally. This plan has 3 main objectives: improve […]

03 Apr 2024

Following last week’s publication of storm overflow spill data for 2023, covered in last week’s news, the sewage has really been hitting the fan The BBC highlighted that sewage spills into England’s rivers and seas by water companies more than doubled last year. According to the Environment Agency there were 3.6 million hours of spills […]