Former Southern Water CEO Matthew Wright and three ex-employees face criminal charges for conspiracy to defraud the Environment Agency and Ofwat. They allegedly manipulated sewage wastewater test results from 2012-2017 to avoid millions in fines, with a trial set for September.
Severe thunderstorms caused widespread destruction in the Balkans last week, with high winds and golf ball-sized hail damaging over 100 buildings in Slovenia and Croatia. Meanwhile, Hong Kong issued a black rainstorm warning due to heavy rainfall and flooding, and France is experiencing an unusual heatwave.
Paul Powlesland, a lawyer and environmental campaigner, faces prosecution by the Environment Agency for illegally cleaning a section of the River Roding without a permit. He organized volunteers to remove 200 bags of rubbish, branches, and silt over 10 days.
England's Environment Agency has published a watchlist of 117 high-priority illegal waste sites, including nearly 30 'super sites' with over 20,000 tonnes of rubbish. The largest is in Northwich, Cheshire, with 281,000 tonnes.
