BBC A report found 143 people had cryptosporidiosis during the outbreak in 2024 An annual report has found 143 people were confirmed to have had cryptosporidiosis during an outbreak in Devon in May 2024, with four hospitalisations. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) previously confirmed 126 cases during the incident. The revised figure of 143...
Kirk England BBC South West environment and tourism correspondent BBC South West Water said it is using “digital detection techniques” to find leaks, including “drones and satellites” Drones and other “digital detection” technology are being used by a water company to cut leaks on its network, bosses say. South West Water (SWW) has faced criticism...
The skies were as blue as the famous waters of Lake Tahoe when Gloria Brigantino and her friends decided to anchor and get a rum cocktail. It was starting to feel chilly, and winds were picking up. On shore, a band was playing, and people were swimming – children running around in their swimsuits as...
Maxar Technologies/Handout via Reuters Satellite imagery showed a large whole in the Arak reactor building’s domed roof Israeli jets have bombed a nuclear reactor under construction in central Iran during a wave of air strikes on the seventh day of the conflict between the two countries. The Israeli military said it targeted the Arak heavy...
Getty Images Environment Agency warns England will have a shortage of 6 billion litres a day by 2050 England faces huge future water shortages and needs a “continued and sustained effort” to reduce demand, including more hosepipe bans and ‘smart’ water meters, warns the Environment Agency. The watchdog says that without dramatic action, England, which...
A school in Devon has been forced to close due to a burst water main which has cut off its water supply. Some people in Totnes have reported having little or no water and South West Water said it hoped to restore the supply in the next three to four hours. Stoke Gabriel Community Primary...
A community project in Exmouth, is aiming to teach more than 1,000 schoolchildren water safety at the seaside. Sideshore Sea Safety was formed in 2022, when it said just one school and a handful of pupils visited the seafront area in East Devon. This year there would be 24 schools and hundreds of children taking...
A sewer robot that monitors pipework and raises blockage alerts before flooding occurs is set for its first mission. Pipebot Patrol is a £1.8m project led by Northumbrian Water and funded by the Ofwat Water Breakthrough Challenge. The robot can inspect miles of pipes over a 30-day period and automatically report back issues from underground....
Faarea Masud & Tom Espiner BBC Business reporters Getty Images A number of water companies have been banned from paying “unfair” bonuses to senior executives under new rules, the government has announced. The measures apply to water companies that do not meet environmental and consumer standards, are not financially resilient or have been convicted of...
The parasite outbreak, which contaminated the local water supply, led to hospitalisations and more than 100 reported cases of illness, including symptoms such as diarrhoea. Pennon said about 800 staff and supply chain partners worked intensively over eight weeks to restore safe drinking water to the affected communities. In addition to the outbreak costs, the...
Thames Water has suffered a major setback in its attempt to secure its future after US private equity giant KKR pulled out of plans to buy the company. KKR had been selected as the preferred partner to inject £4bn of much-needed cash into the UK’s biggest water company. The setback increases the possibility that the...
The water sector in England and Wales is failing and needs stronger regulation to better protect billpayers and the environment, according to the interim findings of a landmark review. The independent Water Commission, led by former Bank of England deputy governor Sir Jon Cunliffe, said on Tuesday that public trust had been shaken by “pollution,...
Azeezat Olaoluwa BBC News, Mokwa Town Gift Ufuoma Mr Yusuf lost his wife and newborn baby in the floods which swept through his town Adamu Yusuf’s life has been upended since he lost nine of his family members in Tiffin Maza, one of two communities in his town worst-hit by floods in north-central Nigeria. The...
The University of Plymouth has collaborated with the RNLI, Swim England and Plymouth Active Leisure to teach students how to stay safe in the water. The RNLI held a young adult water safety programme in May teaching students how to call for help correctly and how to use a throwline. That was followed up by...
Swimmers in Devon have been warned about the dangers of open water swimming, including cold water shock. Nearly 200 people died from accidental drownings in the UK last year, with 28 in May alone, according to the National Water Safety Forum (NWSF). The NWSF said cold water shock was “the body’s response to sudden immersion...