Other stories from last week

(by Karma Loveday)

Defra has reappointed Sarah Mukherjee and Mark Suthern to the Environment Agency board, to serve second terms of 12 months, starting 10 January. 

Anglian Water has awarded the technical contracts to develop its two upcoming desalination plants, in Lincolnshire and Norfolk. TYPSA-Stantec, a joint venture (JV), supported by Acciona Agua, has been awarded the role of Primary Desalination Technical Partner (DTP), working with Anglian from January 2026. They will be joined by a Secondary DTP, RSK-GHD JV, supported by Veolia.

Anglian Water has become the first utility to obtain ‘Mental Health Accessible’ accreditation from MoneySavingExpert Martin Lewis’ Money and Mental Health Policy Institute. This followed a review by the charity of how accessible and supportive Anglian Water’s services are for customers with mental health problems. The company said the accreditation reflected in particular its efforts to support customers with mental health problems – for example through offering more ways to get in contact and help in emergency situations through its Priority Services Register. 

UK Water Industry Research has published four new reports on water supply resilience: Optimising and balancing short-term operational interventions with long-term capital maintenance to improve water supply interruptions; Understanding water infrastructure risks – major bursts, traffic volumes and the condition of road infrastructure; A review of the success of previous mains renewal methods and an overview of new techniques; and Understanding how the deterioration of cast iron pipes evolves into leakage. 

Watergate Sonic has become the first product in the UK to achieve Smart Drop UK certification. Smart Drop is an independent certification scheme managed by The Water Conservancy in Australia and delivered in the UK in partnership with Waterwise. Watergate Sonic continuously monitors water flow, detects abnormal usage, and automatically shuts off the water supply when a leak is identified. By preventing leaks rather than simply alerting users after damage has occurred, Sonic helps reduce unnecessary water loss while protecting homes and buildings from costly water damage.