Water companies will now be required to publish Pollution Incident Reduction Plans (PIRPs) every year, starting in April 2026, under the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025. The plans, which must be made public, detail specific actions to cut pollution, including monitoring, clearing blockages and customer awareness campaigns, and must identify the root causes of incidents. Failure to release a compliant plan is a criminal offence for both the company and its chief executive. From 2027, companies will also need to submit Implementation Reports showing progress. The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs released guidance today, and the Environment Agency noted that in 2024 there were 2,801 pollution incidents in England, 75 classified as serious.
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https://www.gov.uk/government/news/tough-new-legal-duties-on-water-companies-to-cut-pollution
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