Is your big spring clean legal?
It’s getting to the time of year when we think about having the ‘Big Spring Clean’. The box room, shed, and garage are all earmarked for a deep cleanse, getting rid of those old kid’s toys, ill-advised sofa, and a …
Don’t tell everyone how great our beaches are or they’ll all want to come!
30 years in the job and I’m still being approached by members of the public commenting on just how fabulous our beaches are. There’s not many people who can count themselves lucky enough to go to the beach every day …
Dumpers now subject to landfill tax
Landfill tax continues to fulfil its primary objective of encouraging environmentally positive behaviour. As a fiscal tool it is working well. Landfill is down 60% since its introduction, and the Landfill Communities Fund has provided £1.5bn to environmental bodies. But …
The future of farming
Nothing makes more difference to our natural environment than farming. It can enhance and enrich it or damage and degrade it. Farming uses almost three quarters of the land in England and farmers are its custodians, producing food for people …
Illegal elver fishing and how we tackle it
The elver fishery is an area of fishery enforcement that not many anglers will ever see, as it happens on tidal waters at night during the months of February – May. Elvers are juvenile eels and they are currently on …
Managing flood risk - now and into the future
My role in the Environment Agency is about looking to the future of flood and coastal erosion risk management. I’m lucky enough to be doing the job when we’re working with partners to develop a new strategy looking forward to …
Invasive species week: coastline risks from invasive species and how we tackle them
As part of invasive species I wanted to uncover the coastline risk of invasive species and the work I do as part of my role to tackle this issue. I was very fortunate to grow up a 10 minute walk …
Starcross: Lovers of science
Earlier this year, on #womeninscience day, we were drawing attention to the opportunities for aspiring scientists at the Environment Agency. Our aspiration is for our laboratories, like all parts of the organisation, to be as diverse as the communities we …
Why the best preparation for flooding happens on dry days
“Prepare. Act. Survive.” Those are the simple but stark words behind the campaign we’ve launched this week to help keep people safe from flooding. Over 5 million properties across the country are at risk of flooding – that’s more than …
Rain helping the environment and groundwater in the south east
Following the recent rain in the south east the soil is wetter, many reservoirs have risen and groundwater replenishment has started. This improvement is welcome because the autumn and the previous winter were dry in the south east of England. …