11 Mar 2025
Six of the UK’s biggest water companies may have to pay up to £510m in compensation after being accused of overcharging businesses, charities and local authorities by concealing the scale of their sewage spills. Environmental consultant Professor Carolyn Roberts and law firm RPC have issued letters to each of the six firms – Thames Water, […]
11 Mar 2025
In 2024, it was revealed United Utilities had repeatedly discharged millions of litres of raw sewage illegally into Lake Windermere over a three-year period. Environment Secretary Steve Reed has pledged that he will work toward a future where “only rainwater” enters England’s largest lake. The announcement comes as Reed and water minister Emma Hardy embark […]
11 Mar 2025
The Hidden Sands project hopes new hi-tech surveillance could improve the enforcement of sand mining regulations and improve resilience for these riverbed communities. Photo by Pok Rie Sand plays a central role in modern society (e.g. smartphones – high-purity silica sand is essential for making silicon chips) and urban development (e.g. skyscrapers – […]
11 Mar 2025
Ditches are human-made, linear waterways built to serve a variety of purposes, such as draining wetlands, irrigating crops and creating desirable waterfront properties. Previous research revealed that man-made ditches were responsible for emitting 3% of the total global methane emissions from human activities. Now a new study, carried out by ditch experts from the UK, […]
11 Mar 2025
The Welsh and UK Government have announced a new £1 million joint research initiative to tackle water quality issues in the River Wye. The river, which runs for 130 miles from central Wales to the Severn Estuary, has seen its water quality and wildlife drastically decline after years of exposure to agricultural pollution, sewage discharges […]
11 Mar 2025
An oil tanker and a cargo ship collided in the North Sea off the UK coast on Monday 10 March, triggering a major rescue mission. UK authorities launched lifeboats and firefighting vessels to the scene some 10 nautical miles out from the city of Hull after an alarm was sounded. “A coastguard rescue helicopter from […]
11 Mar 2025
An investigation by Greenpeace UK reveals that giant supertrawlers continue to catch fish in the UK’s Marine Protected Areas, despite the UK government having had the powers to prevent them doing so since Brexit. Photo: Christian Aslund/Greenpeace Investigators found that from January 2020 to January 2025, 26 supertrawlers spent significant time fishing in […]
11 Mar 2025
The European Commission has published evaluations of two directives on the protection of EU seas: the Marine Strategy Framework Directive and the Bathing Water Directive. The laws, in place since 2008 and 2006, respectively, have been assessed to measure their achievements so far and identify any gaps and any potential for simplification. The evaluation has found […]
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