12 Sep 2024

Environmental Standards Scotland (ESS) has published a new report which finds that action needs to be taken to improve monitoring, regulatory guidance and the operation of storm overflows in Scotland. The report ‘Storm overflows: an assessment of spills, their impact on the water environment and the effectiveness of legislation and policy’ sets out that: there […]

05 Sep 2024

England’s National Parks, renowned for their natural beauty and diverse wildlife, are facing a hidden threat: pharmaceutical pollution. New research from the University of York and the Rivers Trust has revealed widespread contamination of rivers in the parks, with antidepressants, anticonvulsants, antimicrobials, anti-inflammatory substances, lipid regulators and diabetes treatments being detected. The study found pharmaceuticals […]

05 Sep 2024

New research suggests that warmer water in rivers and lakes resulting from climate change, along with pollution from sewage and farming are having an even bigger effect on aquatic life than previously thought. Almost half of all fish species and 10% of mammals rely on rivers and lakes for survival but a combination of climate […]

28 Aug 2024

The March for Clean Water will be held in London on 26 October to press the government to do more to clean up Britain’s rivers, lakes and seas. Activist Feargal Sharkey is heading up the protest, which has been organised by River Action and backed by a growing number of environmental, sports and community groups. […]

20 Aug 2024

A new study has explored the climate effect of the mandated reduction of sulphur in ship exhaust emissions globally since 2020. Highly relevant to international policy, the study suggests that the shipping regulation has reduced how much light is being reflected back into space, which has likely contributed towards the record warming over the last […]

13 Aug 2024

As the international shipping industry continues to explore measures to conserve and protect underwater life, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) is proposing the future monitoring of Underwater Radiated Noise (URN), which may lead to the establishment of thresholds combined with long-term monitoring requirements for certain regions. Far reaching impacts Underwater noise from ships can significantly […]

07 Aug 2024

In response to last week’s news on the government’s review of the Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP), an interesting debate on social media around highway drainage. In short, given that 30%-70% of storm flows in combined sewers are from roads and footpaths, should more of the cost of managing these flows be picked up by highway […]

31 Jul 2024

An investigation by i suggests that over 5,500 sewage spills in England last year may have been illegal as they took place without permission from the Environment Agency (EA), including at spots along iconic rivers like the Wye and Avon. Water companies released untreated waste into waterways 464,056 times in 2023, official statistics show. These […]