Today marks the fortieth anniversary of the garlanded opening ceremony for the Thames Barrier, one of the largest movable barriers in the world. It continues to provide vital and reliable protection from flooding to the nation’s capital to this day.
The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Environment Agency has said it now expects costs of around £16.2 billion to upgrade the flood defences in the Thames Estuary for the period 2023 to 2100 – a rise around 50% since 2012.
With the UK government demanding a 50% reduction in storm overflow spills by 2029, the era of reactive management is over. Speaking in the House of Commons on 21 July 2025, then environment secretary Steve Reed said, “This Government will cut water companies’ sewage pollution in half by the end of the decade.”
ERG, the leading supplier of odour control systems and industrial gas cleaning & thermal systems, has been awarded the coveted King’s Award for Enterprise.
Welsh Water’s new artificial intelligence-driven tool, ORAI, has been shortlisted for three categories at the prestigious British Data Awards 2026 – underscoring the company’s commitment to using cutting-edge technology to deliver better outcome for customers.
Barhale has completed work on two separate Rapid Action Taskforce Spills projects it is carrying out for Severn Trent.