water uk

'We are sorry': Water industry promises £10bn sewage pollution plan 'to put things right'

Policy

'We are sorry': Water industry promises £10bn sewage pollution plan 'to put things right'

Mea culpa follows rising public anger over the dire state of England's rivers, lakes, and coastlines following repeated dumping of raw sewage by water companies

clock 16 May 2023 • 8 min read
Fight them on the beaches: Could the squabble over sewage cause a stink at May's local elections?

Politics

Fight them on the beaches: Could the squabble over sewage cause a stink at May's local elections?

The ongoing row over the UK's sewage spills looks set to be a major issue for local voters, but there are no quick fixes or easy answers to the crisis

clock 13 April 2023 • 10 min read
Mandatory water efficiency labelling set to deliver £270m in savings

Policy

Mandatory water efficiency labelling set to deliver £270m in savings

Government sets out proposals for new water efficiency labelling regime that could curb energy bills and save 1.2 billion litres of water a day

clock 01 September 2022 • 3 min read
Drought formally declared across much of England

Climate change

Drought formally declared across much of England

Environment Agency confirms eight out of 14 areas in England are now officially experiencing drought conditions, prompting deluge of calls for bolder climate resilience measures

clock 12 August 2022 • 5 min read
Water industry warns UK firms to 'make every drop count' in response to dry weather concerns

Climate change

Water industry warns UK firms to 'make every drop count' in response to dry weather concerns

Water UK campaign seeks to spur more efficient water use behaviours in face of worsening climate risks

clock 04 May 2022 • 3 min read
'Absolute priority': Ofwat told to step up scrutiny of water firms' environmental efforts

Legislation

'Absolute priority': Ofwat told to step up scrutiny of water firms' environmental efforts

England's water companies must do more to protect environment and ensure resilient supply, government tells Ofwat

clock 02 February 2022 • 3 min read
Government announces partial U-turn on water company sewage rules

Policy

Government announces partial U-turn on water company sewage rules

It comes just a day after the government published 1,200-word defence of its decision to vote against stricter legal controls on pumping raw sewage into rivers and seas

clock 27 October 2021 • 5 min read

Infrastructure

'Extremely disappointing': Water sector failing on pollution goals, Environment Agency warns

None of England's nine water and sewerage firms achieved all environmental expectations between 2015 and 2020, watchdog reveals

clock 13 July 2021 • 5 min read

Infrastructure

Water companies pledge to share more information about sewage overflows

Government and water industry taskforce vows to establish a long-term goal to eliminate harm from discharges of sewage that occur during and after periods of heavy rainfall

clock 22 January 2021 • 4 min read

Net Zero Now

UK water industry joins UN Race to Zero campaign

Water UK becomes first trade body to join as official partner of UN campaign, which aims to rally ambitious corporate climate action ahead of COP26

clock 14 January 2021 • 2 min read