Other stories from last week

(by Karma Loveday)

The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) has now published its full investigation report into the Cryptosporidium outbreak in the Brixham area in May 2024. Earlier this month, the DWI announced a record £1.8m fine for South West Water for these failures. 

The Public Accounts Committee will today take evidence from regulators including Ofwat, and customer champions including Martin Lewis, on how consumer experience can be improved in water, energy and telecoms. Topics are set to include high consumer debt, and the promotion of consistent support for customers with additional communication, safety and access needs. This is the first session of the Committee’s inquiry into the regulation of water, energy and broadband.

The Environment Agency has accepted a £517,000 enforcement undertaking from United Utilities after three permit breaches in 2022 led to a substantial amount of sewage being discharged into the River Tame. The money will go to Mersey Rivers Trust to improve the environmental health of rivers in the region. 

The Planning Inspectorate has confirmed that Southern Water’s Hampshire Water Transfer and Water Recycling Project has been accepted for examination as part of the Development Consent Order process.  

Google.org, the philanthropic arm of Google, has awarded a £1m grant to the FloodActionCoalition to support the development of a platform to enable the acceleration of nature-based solutions.

To reduce drought and flood risk across the UK, the platform will map buyer asset risk against opportunities for asset-based solutions. The FloodActionCoalition said that impediments to nature-based solutions include fragmented data, inconsistent assessment measures and limited visibility of investment-ready solutions.

The House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee last week concluded its inquiry into pet parasite medications, by hearing from Defra and regulators. One area of focus is the impact on the water environment.

The Port of London Authority (PLA) has signed a new conservation covenant with RSK Biocensus for the protection and enhancement of rare and valuable habitats, including littoral mud and coastal saltmarsh. The covenant is RSK Biocensus’ 100th signing, and is especially notable for its strategic importance within London.

Non-household retailer Wave and partner SaveMoneyCutCarbon have reported strong progress with their Big Blue Eco Booster Project, which was launched in October 2025 and provides fully-funded water efficiency support to schools in England where wholesalers sign up to support. Seven wholesalers have joined the project, and from the 169 visits completed so far, audits have saved more than 103,783 litres of water per day by identifying issues such as hidden water waste, inefficient fittings, and excessive flow rates. Participating schools have saved a combined £81,726 a year, with an average projected annual saving of £452 per school.