South West Water was fined £1.853 million - a record fine for a drinking water offence – at Exeter Magistrates’ Court yesterday and ordered to pay £75,000 following a prosecution by the Drinking Water Inspectorate for drinking water failures.

With the need to find more water resources and improve wastewater treatment to strengthen the resilience of the UK’s water and wastewater infrastructure firmly at the top of the water sector agenda, quaternary treatment looks set to play a key role in the toolkit.

Jersey Water has welcomed the clarity of the Government of Jersey’s proposed regulation for a new PFAS standard - but says delivering a permanent treatment solution will be a multi-year process.

The Government has today launched a new plan to better protect the nation and the environment from harmful per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) – commonly known as ‘forever chemicals.’‘

Under new rules entering into application today, Member States must monitor, in a harmonised way, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) levels in drinking water to ensure compliance with the new EU limit values under the recast Drinking Water Directive.

On 12th December 2025 South East Water lifted the instruction to boil tap water before use for 24,000 households and businesses in Tunbridge Wells and surrounding areas with immediate effect.

South East Water has issued a precautionary boil water notice for 24,000 customers in Tunbridge Wells as water supply is restored for flushing toilets and washing only.

The BBC is reporting that 7 water companies in England and Wales have been ordered to cut levels of Poly and Perfluorinated Alkyl Substances (PFAS), or “forever chemicals”, in drinking water which could pose a potential danger to human health.

The Drinking Water Inspectorate has announced that a court summons has been issued to South West Water for prosecution for potential offences under section 70(1) of the Water Industry Act 1991.

Uisce Éireann has welcomed the latest Drinking Water Report published by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which confirms that Ireland’s public drinking water supplies continue to meet exceptionally high standards, with over 99.8% compliance with microbiological and chemical standards.