Ofwat’s enforcement case into whether company breached obligations follows Guardian investigation
Thames Water is being investigated by the water regulator for England and Wales, Ofwat, after it delayed environmental improvement schemes.
The investigation comes after the Guardian revealed that the UK’s largest water company intentionally diverted millions of pounds pledged for environmental clean-ups towards other costs, including bonuses and dividends.
Continue reading...
Breaking Waves: Ocean News
02/12/2025 - 03:41
02/12/2025 - 02:00
In three years Natural England has designated just two new SSSIs, which protect areas from development
The government’s wildlife watchdog for England is failing to halt the decline of nature after a sharp fall in the number of new places given top protection, according to campaigners.
On average over the past 15 years, Natural England has designated four new sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) each year. SSSIs are nationally or internationally important places for rare wildlife and habitats, meet strict criteria and are then usually protected from almost all possible development.
Continue reading...
02/12/2025 - 01:00
RHS is asking people to look for under-threat varieties such as the Sussex Bonfire and Mrs William Copeland
Britons have been asked to hunt for rare pink, white and “bonfire yellow” daffodils in order to save threatened varieties from extinction.
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), which is running the daffodil count, is hoping to build a map of the spring blooms. It is asking people to log where daffodils are flowering in their area along with basic information such as colour, type and height.
Continue reading...
02/11/2025 - 19:22
Claim over the 2019 Rennell Island disaster, which saw more than 300 tonnes of fuel leak into the water, filed in the Solomons High court
The companies allegedly responsible for the one of the worst environmental disasters in Solomon Islands’ history are being sued over the catastrophic oil spill that caused harm to an ecologically sensitive island.
The claim over the 2019 Rennell Island disaster was filed in the Solomons high court last week, just days before the statute of limitations expired.
Continue reading...
02/11/2025 - 19:01
Researchers found that most birds-of-paradise are biofluorescent – meaning they absorb light through their bodies
Birds-of-paradise are known for their bright and colourful plumage, but it turns out they are even more dazzling than previously thought.
Researchers have found 37 of the 45 species show biofluorescence – in other words, patches of their plumage or other body parts absorb UV or blue light, and emit light at lower frequencies.
Continue reading...
02/11/2025 - 17:00
Airport’s chief executive to formally spell out expansion plans in speech at British Steel plant in Scunthorpe
Heathrow will submit third runway proposals to the government this summer, pledging to use UK steel and boost growth, the airport has confirmed.
Its chief executive, Thomas Woldbye, will formally spell out plans for a third runway to follow a multibillion-pound upgrade of the London airport’s existing terminals and facilities, in a speech at the British Steel plant in Scunthorpe on Wednesday.
Continue reading...
02/11/2025 - 09:00
Renters are not only facing an escalation in rent prices but also pressure to evict apartments from landlords
Wendy López, a single mother of three from Guatemala, received an eviction order the day before wildfires destroyed Pacific Palisades, where she worked as a caregiver for people with disabilities.
The crisis only escalated the eviction process, Lopez said. The landlord for her rent-stabilized Mid City apartment has sent her threatening letters nearly every day. On 1 February, he raised her monthly rent from $1,320 to $1,430, exceeding the 4% legal rent increase limit. Moving is not an option, she said, because rent for similar housing elsewhere has doubled since the fires.
Continue reading...
02/11/2025 - 07:40
Mowi to give fishers £36 per fish after loss from farm in what campaigners say is a ‘disaster for wild salmon’
The global seafood company Mowi is offering a bounty to fishers who catch escaped salmon after an estimated 27,000 fish went missing from a farm off the Norwegian coast in what campaigners said was a “disaster for wild salmon”.
The world’s largest farmed salmon producer is offering a reward of 500 kroner (£36) per salmon caught after it said a quarter of its 105,000 salmon population escaped from a cage in Troms, north-west Norway.
Continue reading...
02/11/2025 - 07:03
Animals suspected of being illegally left in ‘extremely harsh’ environment near where lynx were found last month
A herd of feral pigs believed to have been illegally released in the Cairngorms have been successfully corralled by estate workers who are now attempting to trap them.
The animals were first spotted near the Uath Lochans area, close to the village of Inch and only 5 miles from where four lynx were illegally released last month.
Continue reading...
02/11/2025 - 06:00
Scientists observe decreased motor function in rodents exposed to microplastics
Microplastics can move through mice brains and block blood vessels, essentially mimicking blood clots that could potentially be fatal or otherwise disrupt brain function.
The findings are detailed in a peer-reviewed paper for which researchers for the first time used real-time imaging to track bits of plastic as they moved through and accumulated in brain blood vessels. When one piece of plastic got stuck, others accumulated behind it, like a “car crash”, the authors reported.
Continue reading...
