17 Apr 2025

Image description: Rowing boats stowed away. Image credit Antonio Babuli/ Pexels.   The  iconic Oxford v Cambridge Boat Race took place on Sunday 13 April. However, pre-race excitement was overshadowed by results from water-quality testing, which revealed levels of E. coli bacteria almost three times above the Environment Agency’s threshold for “poor” bathing waters, along […]

17 Apr 2025

Image description: The Roman Baths museum in Bath. Image credit Rachel Claire / Pexels.   The University of Bath has opened the UK’s first pilot wastewater monitoring centre which it says could help avoid future pandemics. The early-warning public health surveillance system is based on detecting traces of chemicals and biological markers found in water. […]

17 Apr 2025

Image description: Sewage pipes on the right flow out into an ocean on the left. Image by Tom Fisk / Pexels.   New levy proposed to cover enforcement costs  The Environment Agency (EA) has revealed details of how it intends to implement a levy on water companies to recoup the money it needs to carry […]

17 Apr 2025

Image description: Aerial shot of Dunball sluice during early refurbishment. Image by the Environment Agency.   The Environment Agency has completed a £9.7 million refurbishment of the Dunball Sluice, a crucial tidal defence asset near Bridgwater that helps protect homes, businesses and internationally important freshwater habitats across the Somerset Levels region. The agency has upgraded […]

10 Apr 2025

Image Description: Water treatment facility from a birds-eye view. Image by Tom Fisk.   In a letter sent to water companies, Ofwat Chief Executive David Black has urged water companies to look into ways 30 major infrastructure projects can be delivered faster and more efficiently over the next 15 years. In reviewing their projects, Ofwat […]

10 Apr 2025

Image description: A close-up show of a tap running. Image by Steve Johnson / Pexels.   CMA granted 6 month extension for price review Ofwat has granted the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) request for an additional six months to redetermine price reviews for five water companies. Anglian Water Northumbrian Water South East Water […]

10 Apr 2025

Image description: Water being boiled on a stove. Image by Anna Shvets / Pexels.   South West Water owner Pennon has revealed that a major water contamination incident in Devon last year has contributed to a cost hit of £36 million in “reshaping and transformation” costs. Pennon was forced to add a “triple layer of […]

10 Apr 2025

Image description: Wide shot of the houses of Parliament. Image by Dominika Gregušová / Pexels.   The UK Parliamentary Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) inquiry is currently considering whether enough is being done to address the risks of PFAs in the UK and whether research institutions and the Environment Agency are equipped to detect and […]