The Environment Agency (EA) has published a position statement setting out its approach to the use of nature-based solutions (NbS) to support sustainable water resources in England, aimed at stakeholders including water companies, regional water resources groups, NGOs, local authorities, farmers and landowners. The EA supports the development of catchment-based solutions and NbS as part of planning for sustainable water resources, noting that such measures—defined as actions to protect, sustainably manage and restore ecosystems—can enhance natural water regulation by capturing and slowing run-off, improving infiltration, increasing groundwater recharge and improving water quality. While NbS can complement abstraction reduction and flow recovery measures and contribute to resilience in environmentally sensitive catchments, the EA emphasises they should not be relied on to address existing large resource deficits, although they may help reduce future sustainability pressures, particularly in the context of climate change. The statement expects NbS to feature in regional water resources plans, water resource management plans and environmental land management projects, and highlights the need for catchment-scale planning, stakeholder engagement, use of local evidence, appropriate design, monitoring and regulatory compliance, as well as the requirement to secure necessary permits, consents and permissions. The position statement also covers the scope of actions such as soil and land management and restoration measures, guiding principles for catchment-scale planning and evidence, and permit, consent and evidence requirements, alongside summaries of international and England-based evidence.

The Environment Agency (EA) and Natural Resources Wales (NRW) have published a revised Environmental Performance Assessment (EPA) methodology for 2026–30 to strengthen how water and sewerage companies in England and Wales are assessed and compared. The updated, non-statutory framework introduces a new five-point numeric and descriptive rating system, replacing the previous four-star scale, to provide a clearer and more consistent evaluation of company performance based on red-amber-green (RAG) metrics. The revisions, developed jointly following consultation, include new and enhanced measures such as assessments of data reliability from storm overflow monitors, the frequency of ‘dry day spills’, and stricter rules under new Water Industry Regulation Incidents (WIRI) guidance requiring companies to report all pollution events and removing their ability to downgrade incidents if pollution enters a waterbody. The first report using the updated methodology will cover 2026 data and be published in 2027, with full implementation phased in by 2030. Supported by improved technology, expanded regulatory powers and increased inspection capacity, the EA and NRW aim to improve transparency, strengthen accountability, and drive reductions in pollution to achieve higher environmental standards across the water sector.

The Environment Agency (EA) has published its response to the 'working together' consultation on river basin management plans, which ran from 14 November 2024 to 14 May 2025. The consultation received 76 responses from a diverse range of stakeholders, including water companies, local authorities, catchment partnerships and community groups. Nearly half of the responses applied to all river basin districts in England, while others focused on specific districts. Most submissions were made online, with Thames and South West districts contributing the highest number of responses.The consultation aimed to gather input on existing plans and strategies, identify key organisations for involvement, and explore methods to enhance engagement in updating river basin management plans.

The Environment Agency has published a resource framework outlining when tyre pyrolysis oil (TPO) produced from the pyrolysis of waste tyres meets the 'end of waste' test and ceases to be regulated as waste in England. The framework aims to provide certainty over the quality and appropriate use of TPO while protecting human health and the environment. It sets out the permitted waste inputs, conditions for achieving and retaining non-waste status, minimum product specifications, record-keeping and refinery requirements, import and export provisions, and circumstances in which TPO will regain waste status. The framework also confirms it will be reviewed in April 2029.

The Environment Agency has published its updated Storm Overflow Assessment Framework 2025, replacing the 2018 framework. The guidance outlines new spill frequency investigation triggers for water companies based on available monitoring data: 30 spills for one year of data, 20 spills for two years, and 10 spills for three or more years. The framework introduces updated methodologies for assessing environmental impacts and cost-benefit analyses, while incorporating requirements from both the Urban Waste Water Treatment Regulations and Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan. It mandates water companies to consider green infrastructure solutions and maintain regular reviews of improvement schemes. The guidance applies to all storm overflows in England, with specific provisions for inland waterways pending additional guidance for coastal waters.

The Environment Agency has published heatmaps, showing 16,773 reports of waste crime across England during 2023 and 2024. The data revealed that the West Midlands, Yorkshire and East Anglia experienced the highest concentrations of reported incidents. Waste crime, which costs the economy an estimated £1bn annually, involves approximately 34,000 million tons of waste being illegally managed each year. To address this issue, the government’s Plan for Change introduces stringent measures, including up to five years’ imprisonment for rogue operators and new powers for councils to crush vehicles used in waste crime.

The Environment Agency’s recent scoping review, published on 27 May 2025, provides important insights into the behaviour of airborne polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), 6:2 Fluorotelomer alcohol, and Perfluoro(2-ethoxy-2-fluoroethoxy)-acetic acid ammonium salt—released from various industrial sources. Drawing from 15 studies, the report emphasises significant challenges in monitoring these substances due to their occurrence in both gaseous and particulate states. UK data from Hazelrigg reveal that high PFOA levels recorded during 2005–06 substantially declined by 2021, with improved emission controls attributed as the primary cause. The review further notes that PFAS deposition occurs mainly via precipitation, with dispersion patterns influenced by weather conditions and chemical transformations in the air. The review also identifies critical knowledge gaps, such as the need for standardised analytical methods and increased UK-based monitoring, which are essential for guiding future regulatory measures and mitigation strategies in the water sector.

The Environment Agency has reported that Swanton Lane site has been closed down. The restriction order has been granted by Maidstone magistrates’ court on 6 August 2024. The court order prohibits anyone from entering or depositing waste on the site. The restriction order is granted under the Environment Act 1995 and failure to comply with the order is a criminal offence. There are exceptions to entering the land for Environment Agency officers and other officials.

The Environment Agency has reported the sentencing of a man who failed to pay back money made from illegal waste activities. John Leslie Allison had previously been jailed for three years on 23 July 2021, for undertaking illegal waste activities at two locations in Lancashire without a permit. The Environment Agency has said that in January 2023, Preston Crown Court heard how Allison had benefitted financially, at a sum calculated to be £840,814, from his illegal waste activities. The Court ordered him to pay £368,682.50, which was fixed by the total value of assets available to him at that time. The Environment Agency has said that a warrant for Allison’s arrest was issued after he failed to appear in Court in July 2023. He was sentenced at Liverpool magistrates’ court on 7 September 2023, to three years and five months’ imprisonment.

The Environment Agency has secured a confiscation order requiring Mark Winters to pay back £52,872.90 in profits from an illegal waste operation at Codicote Quarry in Hertfordshire. Luton Crown Court ordered Winters to face two years imprisonment if he fails to pay the proceeds of crime order. Winters previously received a 12-month suspended prison sentence for his role in storing illegal household and business waste at the quarry between January 2015 and November 2017. The operation violated the site's environmental permit by storing approximately 200,000 cubic metres of waste including electrical items, furniture, car parts and food packaging. Winters and his brother Liam, who was separately ordered to pay back £79,000, are both serving eight-year company director disqualification orders. The Environment Agency prosecuted under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 and Environmental Protection Act 1990. Codicote Quarry Ltd was fined £1,000 with a £187 victim surcharge after admitting breaches of regulations 38(2) and 77 of the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016.

The Environment Agency reports on the proceeds of crime order of £278,492 which was secured against Simon Mason at Lincoln Crown Court on 27 February 2025, following the discovery of previously undeclared assets. The order supplements an initial £8,317 payment made after Mason's 2021 conviction for illegal waste storage and burning offences in Lincolnshire. The court recalculated that Mason benefited from illegal waste activities by £286,809 in total. Mason must pay within three months or face a five-year prison term. The case was reopened after the Environment Agency identified undeclared property in Mason's possession that was not considered during the original proceedings.

The Environment Agency has published a corporate report outlining its waterways management plan for April 2025 to October 2025. The plan, developed in response to customer feedback, establishes four primary objectives: ensuring staff and customer safety, improving customer experience, achieving financial sustainability, and developing long-term strategic planning. The Agency, as the UK's second-largest navigation authority, will implement new operational protocols for lock and weir management, expand digital services, and enhance asset maintenance schedules. The plan includes new compliance measures for boat registration and commercial opportunities to increase revenue streams. Progress updates will be provided mid-season and at year-end through stakeholder reporting and customer communications.