Environment Agency

England's salmon stocks: what the latest data tells us 

Photo showing a salmon jumping in a river.

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 …

How science is helping us respond to the Tyne nurdle pollution incident

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Cleaner Seas, Environment Agency, Science, Water, Water Monitoring

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 …

Why water regulation is changing – and how Clear Waters is helping 

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Environment Agency, Ofwat, Regulated industry, Rivers, Water, Water Monitoring
Image of the Clear Waters logo featuring the name within two green circular rings

Regulating the environmental performance of the water industry is a core Environment Agency function. Since 2023 we have been transforming the way we regulate the water industry. Backed by significant investment we are delivering increased scrutiny and oversight through a specialised workforce dedicated to each water and sewerage company.   We recognise that further change is needed and that improvements …

A complex picture, but a clearer path: what the 2025 water classifications tell us about England’s waterways 

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Environment Agency, Water, Water Monitoring
Sampling water for quality check

Each time we publish the latest assessment of England's waters through the Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) Regulation classification, a familiar headline emerges: only a minority of rivers, lakes and estuaries achieve "good" overall status. It's a figure that invites a simple reading: that progress is “too slow”, that investment “hasn't delivered”, that the water environment is stagnating or declining. Those concerns are understandable, but they …

How the Joint Unit for Waste Crime is dismantling organised crime in the UK waste industry 

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Environment Agency, Waste crime

Waste crime isn't fly-tipping. It's a billion-pound criminal enterprise in which organised crime groups exploit the waste industry to launder money, evade tax, undercut legitimate businesses, and pollute communities and the environment, while presenting themselves as lawful operators.  These criminals …

Regulating modular nuclear reactors – from design and R&D to the factory floor and site

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Environment Agency, Nuclear
Andy Pynn and Saffron Price-Finnerty examine a model of the modules.

Following Rolls-Royce SMR’s announcement about the new Pioneer Works facility in Derby, Andy Pynn, our strategic lead for nuclear new build, reflects on a visit he made to the company’s EXPERI facility at the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research …

Five years on: Remembering the July 2021 Floods 

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Climate change, Environment Agency, Flood, Flood Planning
A commuter walking through flooding in London

In July 2021, thousands of Londoners watched floodwater enter their homes, businesses and communities with little warning, turning an ordinary summer day into an unforgettable one.  Over two separate days, extreme rainfall overwhelmed parts of the capital, causing widespread flash flooding across 24 boroughs. Homes, …

Tackling flood risk inequality

Flooding affects many communities across England. As climate change increases the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, new Environment Agency research shows that ensuring our approach to flood risk management is both effective and equitable has become more important than ever.