It's out! £88 billion is the biggest spending package ever for water companies. But will it be sufficient to transform the system, address water shortages and reverse the decline in the health of rivers and coastal waters?

Ofwat’s draft determination drowns out early policy signals from Labour Government on water waterbriefing.org/home/regulatio… via @waterbriefing

Annual report for water co performance released. It's disappointing - but not surprising - that the trend in pollution incidences remains on an upwards trajectory. With new Water (Special Measures) Bill and Price Review we have a chance to turn this around. Steve Reed MP Ofwat

The response of Thames Water 💧 to flooding in Chalfont St Peter and other areas this year has been disgraceful. Yesterday I welcomed plans to introduce tougher penalties on water companies that dump sewage in our rivers and fail their customers.

Good to hear! Chiltern Society

Credit rating company, Fitch Ratings, has warned that some water companies will find it challenging to maintain existing ratings for AMP8. This is after Moody's lowered its rating on Thames Water’s debt to ‘junk’ following Ofwat's draft determination. fitchratings.com/research/corpo…

inews reveals that >5,500 sewage spills in England last year may have been illegal; they took place without permission from Environment Agency watchdog://inews.co.uk/news/environment/revealed-water-firms-dumped-sewage-5500-times-in-a-year-illegally-3189829?ito=twitter_share_article-top

Really interested in digging into this. @we_ownit have pulled together data on Europe's river water quality versus % public ownership of water utilities. weownit.org.uk/europes-seven-…

Agree the water industry is broken. Welcome this step, but will the payments be sufficient for those affected, and will they really incentivise water companies to do better? A fundamental review and reform of water management & regulation is needed: afreshwaterfuture.org/a-fresh-water-…

New The Wildlife Trusts report reveals drought is considered the biggest risk to UK nature reserves, ahead of pollution and flooding. It urges the Government to commit at least £3 billion a year to invest in nature-based solutions to help nature adapt. wildlifetrusts.org/news/new-repor…

Flood plans and flowerbeds: city of London prepares for climate change ft.com/content/eafedd… via @ft

100 days into the new Gov, campaigners will take to the streets over water pollution📢🚶‍♂️🚶‍♀️🚶📢 Completely agree with @RiverAction that wholesale reform of the regulatory system is needed. Stakeholders called for this in afreshwaterfuture.org independent.co.uk/climate-change…

Abstraction is set to resume in the Upper Chess: extremely disappointing situation after years of campaigning and commitments made: chilternsociety.org.uk/local-groups-h…

Two Steps Forward, Three Steps Back? Excellent explainer from Charles Rangeley-Wilson on why the Environment Agency decision to resume pumping from the River Chess catchment doesn't make sense. chalkstreams.org/2024/10/11/two… Chiltern Society R. Chess Association @Chilternstreams

Good news for residents in the lower Misbourne valley: Thames Water is finally investing in the sewer system to reduce sewage spills into the river and from manholes bbc.co.uk/news/articles/… Chiltern Society @Chilternstreams

Highlights from the #marchforcleanwater at the wkend. Happy to add a few drops of the River Chess to the collective bowl and my voice to the many calling for cleaner waters. Loved hearing from Chris Packham, 'don't cry over spilt sewage -take action' Chiltern Society R. Chess Association

Autumn update from Chiltern Society on chalk streams chilternsociety.org.uk/autumn-chalk-s… @Chilternstreams R. Chess Association Ver Valley Society Chilterns National Landscape Revive the Wye

Petition: Don’t abandon the Chalk Stream recovery pack petition.parliament.uk/petitions/7113… Defra UK introduced this recovery pack to restore England's rare chalk streams. But it's been abandoned by this government - a huge mistake. Please sign and share Chiltern Society Chilterns National Landscape