Water is essential for drinking, farming, industry, wildlife and recreation. Sustainable water abstraction is essential to ensure that river flows and groundwater levels support ecology and natural resilience. We work side by side with abstractors, combining their knowledge of the land with ours, to …
In 2022, after 46 years of generation, Hinkley Point B (HPB) switched off its last operational reactor and began defueling. The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) declared the site free of nuclear fuel in January 2026. Alister, our Hinkley Point …
Every year, the Environment Agency processes over 13,000 permit applications. These decisions cover an enormous range of activity. From a small waste transfer site to permits regulating how the nation handles nuclear waste, every single one matters because they protect …
Elizabeth Maerz, Environment Officer for Cumbria Every day, our officers investigate pollution reports across the country's rivers and lakes. Surprisingly often, the cause is something quite ordinary: a household drainage system connected the wrong way round. Windermere, England's largest lake, …
Last week, representatives from the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) 181 Member States gathered in Vienna for the Agency's 70th General Conference. As governments, regulators and industry leaders discussed the future of nuclear energy, one theme came up time and again in my conversations: how can regulation support innovation, investment and growth while maintaining public …
Jake Surman is the Environment Agency’s innovation lead in our nuclear strategy team. As the Heads of Innovation Forum meets for its annual meeting Jake provides an update on our work New nuclear technologies, novel uses of radioactive substances and advancing digital innovations could help the UK produce cheaper low carbon energy, speed-up nuclear decommissioning …
Atlantic salmon are a remarkable and iconic species. Hatching in rivers across Northern Europe, they migrate thousands of miles across the North Atlantic to feed and grow before returning to those same rivers to spawn. Every year, the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture …
Yasmin is an advisor in our Advanced Technologies and Fusion Strategy team. Here she highlights the benefits of our new early engagement process and the Environment Agency’s role regulating the fusion industry. The Environment Agency, working alongside the Health and Safety Executive, is the regulator of fusion research sites and will jointly regulate future commercial …
Chalk streams are among the rarest freshwater habitats on Earth, with around 85% of the world's 280 chalk streams found in England.
For most anglers, a Fisheries Enforcement Officer is the person who checks their fishing licence. But for the Environment Agency, the work of our enforcement officers helps protect fisheries, wildlife and the future of angling. From routine patrols and licence …
By Dr Rob Bradburne, Environment Agency Chief Scientist When incidents happen, good decisions depend on good science. That is certainly true of the ongoing recovery along North East England's coast, where a maritime collision released small pellets of plastic, known …
