Langport water centre gets £11m refurb for cleaner rivers
A water recycling centre has undergone a multi-million pound refurbishment to better filter chemicals from sewage water.The £11 million project carried out by Wessex Water at Langport over the past 18 months is meant to improve the water quality of the River Parrett and other Somerset waterways.Project manager Victoria Plummer said: "Chemicals like phosphorus can cause large growths of algae in waterways, damaging plants and animals in those areas by depleting the amount of oxygen in the water."In the last few years, more than £40 million of similar work to improve treatment methods has been completed or got started across Somerset.
This includes work on sites near Martock, Crewkerne and Merriott, all close to the River Parrett.In nearby Somerton, more than £5 million was spent to remove chemicals and enhance the water recycling centre to protect the nearby River Cary.Further north, a £5 million Wessex Water project to build an integrated constructed wetland to naturally remove nutrients is expected to get under way near Shapwick next summer.The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is currently reviewing Ofwat's final determination of Wessex Water's 2025-30 business plan, which has outlined further action to tackle nutrients in the region's waterways.If fully accepted by the CMA, the plans include investing £820 million in river and coastal water quality by upgrading treatment sites and removing 1,550 tonnes of nutrients from waterways.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
36 minutes ago
- The Independent
Tesco sales accelerate despite ‘intensely competitive' grocery market
Tesco has revealed stronger sales over the latest quarter despite an 'intensely competitive' UK grocery market. The UK's largest supermarket chain said it has increased its market share further after investing more in pricing to bring in more customers. The company said group sales grew by 4.6%, on a like-for-like basis, to £16.4 billion for the 13 weeks to May 24. This was buoyed by growing demand for own-brand and premium products, with sales of its Finest range up 18% year-on-year. This was supported by the launch of 350 new own-brand products during the quarter, as shoppers continue to turn more frequently to supermarket own-brands over branded rivals. As a whole, the business saw food sales grow by 5.9%, while non-food sales, excluding toys, rose by 6.2% amid a boost from new ranges and warmer weather. Tesco stressed that growth has come as it maintained its 'strong price positioning' relative to its rivals, continuing to invest in its Aldi Price Match scheme and around 9,000 Clubcard price deals each week on its loyalty scheme. It comes amid continued pressure on pricing from rival supermarkets, with Asda slashing prices this year in a bid to help turn around its fortunes. In April, Tesco said it expects to make as much as £400 million less in profit this financial year due to heightened competition. Ken Murphy, chief executive of Tesco, said: 'We are pleased with our performance across the first quarter. 'Our continued commitment to delivering great value, quality and service for our customers has contributed to like-for-like sales growth across all parts of the group. 'The market remains intensely competitive, and we are committed to ensuring customers get the best value in the market by shopping at Tesco.'
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
UK accounting watchdog fines KPMG $1.7 million for Carr's Group audit breaches
June 12 (Reuters) - The British accounting watchdog imposed a penalty of 1.25 million pounds ($1.7 million) on audit firm KPMG LLP on Thursday as a result of an investigation into the financial audit of UK manufacturing firm Carr's Group (CARRC.L), opens new tab. KPMG and audit engagement partner Nick Plumb failed to ensure compliance with applicable independence requirements, the Financial Reporting Council said. "In this case, whilst the quality of the audit work performed by the two firms is not brought into question, the breaches were serious," FRC Deputy Executive Counsel Jamie Symington said in a statement published on its website. ($1 = 0.7374 pounds)
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Tesco's UK sales growth accelerates in first quarter
LONDON, June 12 (Reuters) - Tesco (TSCO.L), opens new tab, Britain's biggest food retailer, reported a pick-up in underlying sales growth in its first quarter and won market share from rivals, saying improvements in value, product quality and service had chimed with consumers. The group, whose share of Britain's grocery market has grown this year to 28%, a level not seen since 2016, said on Thursday its UK like-for-like sales rose 5.1% in the 13 weeks to May 24, having been up 4.3% in the previous quarter. Group sales were 16.4 billion pounds ($22.2 billion), up 4.6% on a like-for-like basis. "Our continued commitment to delivering great value, quality and service for our customers has contributed to like-for-like sales growth across all parts of the Group," CEO Ken Murphy said. But he cautioned that the market "remains intensely competitive". Tesco said it still expected to report adjusted operating profit of between 2.7 billion and 3.0 billion pounds ($3.6 billion-$4.1 billion) in the year ending February 2026, down from the 3.13 billion pounds achieved in 2024/25. The group said in April it expected profit to fall in its 2025/26 year as it set aside cash to deal with a step up in the "competitive intensity" of the UK grocery market - a reference to a pledge of sustained price cuts from Asda, Britain's third biggest supermarket group, which has been losing market share. Most analysts think Tesco's strategy of matching the prices of discounter Aldi on hundreds of key items, together with heavy promotion of its Clubcard loyalty scheme, which provides lower prices for members, is working well. Tesco is also becoming increasingly digital, stepping up personalised engagement with customers and developing growth avenues such as its online Marketplace platform and retail media. Shares in Tesco are up 27% over the last year. Tesco's update bucked wider industry data published on Tuesday showing British consumer spending on non-food items lost momentum in May as households' confidence in their personal finances fell. ($1 = 0.7377 pounds)
