The newly-released 2024 Northern Ireland Water Classification Statistics Report says that the presence of ubiquitous, persistent, bioaccumulative, toxic (uPBT) substances in Northern Ireland's surface waters means that none of its rivers, lakes, transitional and coastal water bodies will meet good chemical status.

The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) is seeking permission to intervene in a Court of Appeal case relevant to how regulations in place to protect and improve water are put into practice.

The National Audit Office (NAO) is warning of serious weaknesses which are currently limiting the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs’ ability to make evidence-based decisions about where to deploy its resources, and to understand wider impacts of its regulatory approach.

The Environment Agency (EA) has today published action plans detailing £5.3 billion of investment to improve the quality of England’s waters over the next five years. However, the EA is warning that without further investment beyond that date and more action to address climate change impacts, the number of water bodies meeting Good Ecological Status could fall to just 6% by 2043.