The House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee will hear evidence in person next week from Emma Hardy MP, Minister for Water and Flooding at Defra, when it concludes its current inquiry into drought preparedness in England and the Government’s drought response processes.
The Environment Agency has published its drought plan guideline 2025 for water companies that are wholly or mainly in England - the companies are required to follow the guideline when preparing their drought plans. The drought plan guideline was last published in 2020.
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.