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: 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 […]

27 Mar 2025

A new report from Public First has urged the Chancellor to commit at least £1.5 Bn annually on flood defences in the spending review, with no current funding commitment from the Labour government on flood defences beyond April 2026.   Image description: A house and powerlines submerged in water. Image by Wes Warren   The […]

20 Mar 2025

The government has announced reforms which it says will modernise “outdated” regulations around bathing water quality, and will “keep pace with Britain’s love of swimming”. The system for monitoring the more than 550 designated, outdoor, swimming sites in England and Wales will be updated for the first time since 2013 following a public consultation. The […]