The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs has updated the delivery plan for the water demand targets first published in December 2025. The Environment Act 2021 set out a series of legally binding statutory targets to improve the natural environment and leave it in a better state for future generations.

Neil Hornby, currently Chief Executive of Cefas (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science) has been appointed as the new Chief Executive of Natural England.

Severn Trent is asking customers to help reduce water use after experiencing the highest single day of demand for water ever recorded across its region on 11 July, beating the previous record from the drought in 2022 and the Covid pandemic.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and Scottish Water are continuing to actively work with all relevant partners including Fife Council, NHS Fife and Fife Coast and Countryside Trust in response to the ongoing localised pollution pressure affecting the Kinghorn Burn, to protect public health and the environment.

Thames Water yesterday launched the process to gain access to further funding under the Facility it first entered into in 2025 with its subsidiary, Thames Water Super Senior Issuer plc. when an initial £1.5 billion was made available under the Facility. On Wednesday the water company published its latest annual results for the year to 31 March 2026 showing a return to profit and sufficient funding secured through to Q4 2026.

Northumbrian Water is getting ready to start work on a £6.9 million AMP8 project at County Durham’s Selset Reservoir. The investment will add long-term resilience to the site’s ability to support water treatment for customers in Teesdale and beyond.

Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water has warned that it is likely to introduce a ‘hosepipe ban’ this weekend across Mid and South Ceredigion, together with parts of North Pembrokeshire and North Carmarthenshire, unless exceptionally high water demand reduces over the coming days.

Northumbrian Water, North Tyneside Council and the Environment Agency have been working together to try to identify and fix the source of contaminated groundwater at Cullercoats beach to improve the area’s bathing water quality.