03.07.09 Quality of water on UK beaches plummets
There was once a day when swimming in the waters around the British Isles was as clean and safe as swimming in the Indian Ocean. Thousands of holidaymakers would flock to the likes of Hastings, Blackpool, Great Yarmouth and Weston Super Mare to paddle and swim as well as make sandcastles and eat ice creams. But every year coastlines in the UK have become more and more polluted. The current figures for water quality are the worst they have ever been.
According to the Marine Conservation Society, which annually gathers statistics on British beaches, 2009 has seen a drop of 17% in terms of the recommendation for swimming in the sea. The current figure is less than half, with only a disappointing 48% being recommended by the MCS from a total number of 777 beaches in the UK. This hasn’t been the case for over seven years. According to the Good Beach Guide, which is an arm of the MCS and provides a very useful and well researched website for all of Britain’s beaches, this is the worst set of results in their entire history.
One of the possible causes of the pollution comes from the wet summers we’ve had in recent years. The drains are not able to cope with all the water during this period and instead of the sewage water being taken to a treatment plant, it mixes with the rainwater in the storm drains and ends up in the sea.
If you visit a beach and there’s a blue flag flying then you’re OK to swim, but it’s a bit of a gamble for the most part. It’s not only bad news for those of us who want to go for a dip in the summer but also for all the businesses that thrive on the tourists flocking to these beaches. The recession is costing the tourist trade enough as it is. The last thing they need is for people to be put off from going on holiday because of unclean waters.
26.06.09 A hot water safety and efficiency measure for all new UK homes
Some of us use our elbows, some of us use our big toe, and some of us don’t use anything at all. Every year 112,000 people are treated for hot water scalding in the UK and around 6% of them have to be hospitalised. Many people might not of think a hot bath as a potential danger but the scalding one can suffer is a second-degree burn and causes very serious splitting of the layers of skin and then blistering. It’s a very common and serious problem with the young and the elderly in particular, which is why the Housing Minister, Iain Wright, has this month announced plans to change the way British houses tackle their water.
From October 2009, all newly built houses in the UK will be fitted with a gadget that limits the hot water temperature as it comes out of the taps. On top of this device there will also be a system that prevents any one person from using more than 125 litres of water per day. The amendment will come to the Building Regulations bill under the part that deals with sanitation, hot water safety and efficiency. Mr Wright was keen to stress his desire for change on these two issues, one of which will help the health of UK residents and the other that helps the environment.
On top of the requirements for new houses, the government has come up with other plans for water facilities in people’s homes and is also looking further into use for grey water – which is the old sullage water that comes from shower, baths, washing machine and sinks – as well as rainwater, which the UK has had aplenty in recent years.
15.06.09 What is the UK's most considerate water treatment plant?
In this day and age it’s vitally important that water companies play by the rules and provide an ethical and environmental service to their local communities, the country and the world as a whole.
The Considerate Constructions Scheme, is a scheme set up to reward companies in an industry that rarely is given targets to meet that aren’t financially driven. This year a water treatments plant in Perthshire, Scotland, the Glenfarg water treatment works (WTW), has beaten over 7000 rivals water works to be crowned the “most considerate site of 2009”.
Engineering and construction company, Black and Vetch, has praised the Scottish site for its work with wash water, disinfection, sludge recovery and many others. There has been a staggering £4.3 million upgrade to the water plant, which will provide a water service for over 180,000 households when completed.
Glenfarg hasn’t won this award for being profitable or shrewd. The word “considerate” hasn’t been used lightly here. There have been exceptional advances in the environmental challenges at the site. The energy saving systems in Glenfarg vastly exceed any rival. It has also led the way in terms of safety practice at its plant, providing a secure and safe working environment for all its staff members. In such a rural and protected area in Perthshire, there have been many local challenges faced, all of which have been met with sympathy and open arms by the board, the managers and all the staff at the plant. A Director from Scottish Water has called the work in the area “exemplary” and says it has set a benchmark for the rest of the UK.
02.06.09 Wessex Water to cut 200 jobs
With rising unemployment figures across the country, there is more bad news as the recession has claimed yet another victim, with Wessex Water this time being the company to announce large job losses.
The company has just announced that it will be cutting 200 positions from its workforce, blaming “the economic climate” for the unfortunate decision. One of the areas in which it has been worst affected is its future investment programme; this has been badly hit, and as a result the company has announced that it will have to make the job cuts by the end of the year.
The job cuts will take place across the company, but the worst sector to be hit will be the engineering and construction division. The cuts are clearly necessary, but the company has stated that it is hoping to achieve them through making a careful review of the number of agency staff that it employs, allowing it to keep the number of permanent workers employed to a maximum.
The total number of staff that the company currently employs is 2,500, so the 200 job losses represent quite a significant cut and the redundancies will be felt across Bristol, Somerset, Wiltshire, Dorset, Hampshire and Gloucestershire.
The decision has been described as “regrettable” by Alan Morgan, the head of Human Resources, but it is essential because the company is “running out of work in some areas”. To make the process easier, the company will also use a consultation process in a bid to get staff moved to other areas of the company rather than having to put them out of work.
22.05.09 Flood Forecasting Centre opens
The UK’s first Flood Forecasting Centre was officially opened last month, as a result of the enquiry headed by Sir Michael Pitt into the devastation caused by the floods of summer 2007. The centre is a joint venture between the Environment Agency and the Met Office and aims to allow the two agencies to work together to provide early warnings for local authorities and the emergency services.
Prior to this new initiative, the Environment Agency was responsible for monitoring rivers at risk of flooding and the Met Office was responsible for providing information on rainfall. The new centre will have responsibility for forecasting not only river and coastal flooding but also surface flooding caused by unusually excessive rainfall.
Climate change was cited by spokesmen for both the Environment Agency and the Met Office as a leading contributor to the increased risk of flooding in the UK and, while this cannot be entirely prevented, an early warning system should minimise risk of loss of lives and damage to property. In the floods of June and July 2007 13 people died and 44,600 homes were flooded.
The centre, which has cost over £10 million, will operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and is situated in Farringdon in London. Twenty six people work there, including weather forecasters and hydrologists.
The Pitt Review has also been responsible for £15 million being given to local councils to fund flood management. Much of the devastation caused by the 2007 floods could have been avoided had local authorities been better prepared.
