UK Environment Agency News

UK’s Thames Water Seeks Deal to Escape £104 Million Sewage Fine

Cash-strapped Thames Water is seeking to strike a deal with its regulator to avoid a fine of £104 million ($133 million) for polluting rivers. Industry regulator Ofwat said the utility released raw sewage from wastewater treatment works for years without …

UK Water Companies Lambasted by Environment Agency for Sewage Releases

Britain’s Environment Agency on Tuesday lambasted the country’s water companies for spewing sewage into rivers and seas, saying the majority of them were failing to get the basics right, as it outlined plans for a tougher regulatory approach. Years of …

English Fishing Village Told to Boil Water After Parasite Outbreak Sickens Over 45 People

A scenic fishing village in southwestern England was under instructions to boil its tap water for a third day on Friday after a parasite sickened more than 45 people in the latest example of Britain’s troubled water system. Around 16,000 …

Southern Water Fined for Sewage Spill That Killed 2,000 Fish in England

Southern Water was fined £330,000 on Tuesday after admitting a raw sewage spill that killed thousands of fish on the edge of England’s South Downs National Park. Southern, which supplies more than 4.6 million people in England, acknowledged that sewage …

UK Will Fail to Meet Flood-Defense Goals for Homes as Climate Threat Grows

Hundreds of thousands of British homes will miss out on flood protections in the next few years as spending has been affected by Brexit, inflation and the pandemic, according to the National Audit Office. In 2020, the Department for Environment, …

UK Water Companies to Face Unlimited Fines for Polluting Rivers, Sea

Water companies will incur unlimited fines for polluting rivers and the sea under new UK legislation to protect the environment, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Therese Coffrey, the environment secretary, will announce plans [this week] …

Vulnerable to Climate Change, England Must ‘Adapt or Die’, Agency Warns

England will be hit hard by floods like those that devastated Germany this summer if the country does not improve its defense against more extreme weather brought by climate change, a governmental agency said Wednesday. In a report, the Environment …

Storm Frank Batters North Britain; Total Storm Losses Could Top $4.5 Billion

Torrential rain and gale force winds battered northern Britain on Wednesday, cutting power to thousands of homes and forcing some to evacuate flooded streets in the third major storm in a month. The Environment Agency said Britain had faced an …

Update: U.K. Insurers Face Flood Claims up to $2.2B – with More Storms Ahead

Insurers are facing some of the costliest British floods on record as large parts of northern England, already inundated, brace for more heavy rain. Accountants estimate that insurers are currently facing a bill of up to 1.5 billion pounds ($2.22 …

U.K. Towns Face More Floods as Insurer Losses Estimated at $1.6 Billion

Waterlogged towns on the River Thames west of London braced for more floods as rains persisted across southern England and Deloitte LLP said the storms may cost insurers £1 billion ($1.6 billion) by April. The Environment Agency has 16 severe …