(by Karma Loveday) The Environment Agency is running its second consultation on updating River Basin Management Plans , this time to ask for views on the challenges rivers face. The Significant water management issues consultation is open until 20 May. Environment secretary Emma Reynolds will give evidence on water and environmental regulation to the House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee at 2pm on Tuesday. Members are expected to ask questions on the water White

(by Karma Loveday) A ban on the sale of wet wipes containing plastic has been signed into law in England. There will be an 18 month transition period, with the ban coming into force in Spring 2027. Medical exemptions are allowed. Defra said a further ban on manufacture will be considered once the ban on supply and sale has come into force. The ban only applies to wipes containing plastic. Water minister Emma Hardy has written to manufacturers urging that product labelling for

(by Karma Loveday) New meter reading performance standards and charges will come into force on 1 December, after Ofwat approved code changes CPM058c and CPW149c, giving effect to the latest stage of Market Performance Framework reform. Five new standards on cyclic and transfer meter reads will join the three linked to BR-MeX that came into force in April, forming the Key Performance Indicators for trading parties under the reformed system. The intention has been to sharpen in

(by Karma Loveday) The Consumer Council for Water (CCW) has advised water companies to take tailored approaches to water saving advice for customers after conducting a study of how 2,000 people define essential and non-essential water use. The key findings were: Most consumers described essential use as water needed for hydration (63%) and personal hygiene (33%). Activities such as gardening and washing the car were widely viewed as non-essential, despite being part of many p

(by Karma Loveday) Ofwat is to formally open its new Water Efficiency Lab to bidders tomorrow.   £5m of the total £25m available between 2025 and 2030 will be on the table in year one, with a maximum award per project of £1.5m. Innovators have until 10 March to submit their pitches, which must be focused on developing new technologies, data-driven tools and solutions that enable households and businesses to understand their water use and take steps to reduce it. Ofwat said po

(by Karma Loveday) The Environment Agency (EA), which licences abstraction, has said the current amount taken out of rivers, lakes and groundwaters is not sustainable. The regulator called for achieving greater water efficiency to become “a national priority” – particularly during the current drought. The comments came as part of the EA’s 2024/25 (pre-drought) review of Water Resource Management Plans. The key findings included:  Average daily water use per person was 136.5 l

(by Karma Loveday) In her annual report for 2024-25, the Environment Agency’s (EA) chief regulator Jo Nettleton celebrated the progress made to hold water companies accountable, despite some of the worst performance results for years being reported in the year. These include the 60% increase in serious pollutions documented in the EA’s July pollution report for 2016-24, and the industry achieving only half marks in October’s Environmental Performance Assessment. Nettleton sai

(by Verity Mitchell) Thames Water customer bills could be nearly 20% higher in five years' time if the rescue plan proposed by lenders is approved. That is according to reports of a research note from Barclays. Both CKI and Castle Water have reportedly complained that their alternative proposals have been sidelined in favour of the rescue plan being negotiated with Ofwat by London and Valley Water, Thames’ A creditor consortium. According to reports, Barclays’ research calcul

(by Verity Mitchell) Ofwat has introduced a cost change process to enable water companies to access additional revenue in the PR24 period. The adjustment process, promised as part of the PR24 settlement, is for the following critical cost areas: cyber security, PFAS, asset health, growth, large gated schemes, development of the Havant Thicket reservoir, and development costs for other major projects. Companies will be able to submit claims in 2026, 2027 and 2028. This is a si

(by Verity Mitchell) Severn Trent has announced half-year results and that chief executive Liv Garfield will step down at the end of December. After 11 years at the helm, she will be succeeded by James Jesic, currently capital and commercial services director at Severn Trent and managing director of Hafren Dyfrdwy. Jesic is a chartered engineer, with a PhD in chemical engineering and has spent his career working in many parts of the organisation. Revenues increased by 18% to