3 d. ago Kicking up a stink: row over sewage pollution blighting Cape Town’s beaches

Campaigners say authorities should be doing more to clean up waters around city of nearly 5 million peopleOn a clear summer’s day in Cape Town, the Milnerton Lagoon was serene, reflecting the bright blue sky and Table Mountain. But there was an unmistakable stench, and up close, the water was murky.A few hundred metres away, adults and children played in the water as it flowed into Table Bay. On the boardwalk, a sign read: “Polluted water: for health reasons, swimming and recreational activities are at your own risk.” Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Water pollution across UK surged by nearly a third and highest in decade

Only a third of survey respondents believe their supplier will take the necessary steps to address water pollution

Politics

4 d. ago ‘I needed heart surgery after swimming in polluted water’: Health warning as sewage spills reach decade

As a result of sewage pollution, 331 people have seen a doctor with chest infections and gastroenteritis and some were hospitalised

Events

4 d. ago 2,487 water pollution incidents recorded in 2024, say campaigners

Firms were collectively set a target of a 40% reduction in pollution incidents but instead recorded a 30% increase, Surfers Against Sewage said.

Politics

1 week ago ‘Yoda’ for scientists: the outsider ecologist whose ideas from the 80s just might fix our future

John Todd’s eco-machine stunned experts by using natural organisms to remove toxic waste from a Cape Cod lagoon. Forty years on, he wants to build a fleet of them to clean up the oceansJohn Todd remembers the moment he knew he was really on to something: “There was no question that it was at the Harwich dump in 1986,” he recalls. This was in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, close to where Todd still lives. Hidden away from the picturesque beaches was the town landfill, including lagoons of toxic waste from septic tanks, which was being left to seep into the groundwater below. So Todd, then a 45-year-old biologist, decided to design a solution. What he was “on to”, he came to realise, was not just a natural way of removing pollution from water, it was a holistic approach to environmental restoration that was way ahead of its time, and possibly still is.An early eco-machine purifying toxic waste on Cape Cod in 1986. Photograph: John Todd Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Campaigners find sewage pollution and E coli in Boat Race water

Tests ahead of Sunday’s race revealed E coli levels three times above the threshold for poor bathing waterWater quality along the stretch of the River Thames which will host the iconic Oxford v Cambridge Boat Race has been classified as poor by clean water campaigners, as a result of E coli from sewage pollution.Testing carried out along the four-mile route, which the university rowing teams will tackle on Sunday, has revealed E coli levels which are three times above the threshold for poor bathing water status. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Celebrity Big Brother's Mickey Rourke's changing face over the years and why he's unrecognisable

Celebrity Big Brother star Mickey Rourke has been at the centre of plastic surgery rumours for decades after his looks dramatically changed following his boxing career

Politics

2 w. ago Cornwall beachgoers urged to AVOID swimming after grim 'slurry pollution' washes up

People have been warned against going into a stream in Cornwall after slurry pollution entered the water, which flows into Mawgan Porth beach - a popular spot with surfers

Politics

2 w. ago Horror movie on Amazon Prime that viewers say 'leaves them incredibly uncomfortable'

Released over a decade ago, this Mike Flanagan horror film has recently surged in popularity on the streaming giant, leaving viewers gripped with fear

Politics

3 w. ago Bosses of polluting water firms will lose bonuses if they fail to clean up Britain's rivers, watchdog warns

From next month regulator Ofwat plans to use new powers to stop executives of water companies being rewarded despite poor performance on cleaning up pollution.

Events

3 w. ago Bill to nationalise polluting water companies blocked by Government

Clive Lewis says his Water Bill would operate a ‘three strikes and you’re out’ policy but Government points to £200 billion cost.

Politics

3 w. ago MP calls to nationalise water firms that repeatedly pollute rivers and seas

Clive Lewis says his Water Bill would operate a ‘three strikes and you’re out’ policy for private water companies.

Politics

3 w. ago Dying fish, polluted water and a terrible stench: the French firm accused of dumping toxic waste in Colombia’s wetlands

A controversial landfill near Barrancabermeja has polluted protected wetlands, causing harm to people and the environment, claim local campaignersAs a small fishing canoe darts across the still waters of the San Silvestre wetlands in central Colombia, Wilson Díaz leans over and dips his hands overboard. He cups some water and brings a palmful to his face, inhaling deeply. “It smells foul,” he says.Díaz, president of a fishing union in his home town of Barrancabermeja, knows the waters intimately. He has worked in the San Silvestre wetlands his entire life; the water he now says is foul has long been his family’s sustenance. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago 'The Thames is in trouble': Sir Steve Redgrave says river needs urgent action on pollution

Retired Olympic rowing champion demands action to end ‘pollution for profit’ by water companies

Events