It falls to all of us to protect vital water resources in an era of shortage
The responsibility for this now regular occurrence must be borne by us all, namely South East Water, the consumers and the Government. Water is a vital resource and should not be squandered by consumers, who need to be much more aware of their actions. At the same time the Government should support the water authorities in improving both the collection and storing of water, as well as upgrading the supply network.
Stan Kirby
East Malling, Kent
SIR – Dynamic pricing on holiday flights, hotel accommodation or in petrol stations smacks of profiteering, but charging consumers extra for vital resources because of adverse weather conditions ('Families to pay more for water in heatwaves', report, July 12) is downright antisocial and cruel.
Patrick Kelly
Chippenham, Wiltshire
SIR – I do not think I can remember a year when there has not been outcry about the lack of water and the fear of drought during summer months.
We are fortunate that our country receives plenty of rainfall. Why is nothing done to preserve it and prevent leaks?
Susan Eccles
Tunbridge Wells, Kent
SIR – Property developers who build too many houses in the South East with inadequate infrastructure should foot the bill for new reservoirs and the desalinisation plants we're surely going to need in the future. It doesn't take a genius to work out that reckless and greedy over-development has contributed to severe water shortages.
Caroline J Evans
Haywards Heath, West Sussex
SIR – Water companies wish to keep their business size the same, ignore wastage and charge customers more for the same amount (or less) delivered. In any other business that would be commercial suicide, yet their monopoly supports this strategy. The Government must push back and assist with planning to increase supply.
Forcing people to cut water use is not consistent with public health. Bathing less, washing clothes and linen less frequently and not flushing toilets after every use should not be propagated as 'solutions' for the water industry's failure to satisfy demand.
Gillian Courage
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
SIR – If a fraction of the money splurged on carbon capture and storage, wind farms, solar farms and grid upgrades had been spent on insulation, flood defences and water storage we would be in a far better place than we are now.
Jonathan Carr
Shrewsbury, Shropshire
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The Guardian
30 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Monday briefing: How the two-year effort to keep the Afghanistan data breach secret fell apart
Good morning. It has been described as the worst data breach in British history. A British defence official sent an email in 2022 containing the names and details of more than 18,700 people in Afghanistan who had applied for asylum under the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme; but somehow, some of the information on the spreadsheet was later leaked on a Facebook group. The Afghan people named in that spreadsheet became immediate and obvious targets for reprisals by the Taliban, and so the British government scrambled to resettle 900 individuals affected, along with 3,600 family members. While the resettlement route is now closed, the government has promised to honour 600 invitations already made to any named person still in Afghanistan and their immediate family. The cost of the whole operation is expected to reach £850m. Amid the shocking details of this scandal, what is perhaps most extraordinary is that, until last week, the majority of the British public had no idea that it had happened. We were not legally allowed to know about the leak, or to know that thousands of Afghans who worked with British forces were put at risk, or to know that thousands were resettled in the UK. This continued for two years because of an unprecedented superinjunction – the longest in British history. To understand the lengths the government went to cover up the crisis and the impact this will have on public trust, I spoke to the Guardian's defence editor Dan Sabbagh That's after the headlines. Health | The NHS is facing an 'absolutely shocking' £27bn bill for maternity failings in England, after a series of hospital scandals, resulting in hundreds of babies and women dying or suffering life-altering conditions, triggered a record level of legal claims. Middle East | Pope Leo XIV has condemned the 'barbarity' of the war in Gaza and the 'indiscriminate use of force' as Gaza's health ministry said at least 85 Palestinians had been killed queueing for food. UK news | More than four decades after the violent policing at Orgreave during the miners' strike and a failed prosecution criticised as a police 'frame up', the government has established an inquiry into the scandal. Protest | Four people were arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences during a pro-Palestine protest in Liverpool city centre on Sunday afternoon, police said. Merseyside police said material in support of campaign group Palestine Action was reportedly seen in the possession of a small number of protesters. UK weather | Half a month's rainfall could hit the UK in the next 24 hours, the Met Office has said. Yellow weather warnings for rain and thunderstorms were in place in Northern Ireland, Scotland and the north and south-west of England until 10pm on Sunday, with more warnings coming into force in other areas on Monday. The previous Conservative government became aware of the leak 18 months after the incident – in August 2023 – after the spreadsheet was published on Facebook. The government then took action to get the post removed, but journalists became quickly aware of the breach, prompting the government to take an extraordinary court injunction to stop the data leak going public. The judge went further, granting the government a superinjunction, a mechanism which prevents disclosure of the very existence of the injunction itself. It's worth noting why this was granted: there are real and founded fears that the Afghans on that list would face retaliation from the Taliban for working with British forces. Yet there are also significant questions to be asked about the length of the injunction, and its scale ('against the whole world'): was it about protecting vulnerable Afghans? Or was it about protecting the British government from scandal? Legal campaigners have condemned the superinjunction for using national security to provide legal cover for what they argue is a political crisis. The legal injunction came into force in September 2023, and 'the Tories let it run,' Dan Sabbagh tells me. 'The timeline shows they wanted it hushed until after the election. Mr Justice Chamberlain rules twice to maintain the injunction, then a third time says, 'no, it's too big'. That's around May 2024. The election is called around then, but the government appeals and delays it past the election.' Dan spoke of his astonishment that a leak of such a serious nature was covered up for years. 'And then on top of that, a remedial scheme was cooked up over a succession of cabinet meetings, expanding in size, costing more and more money. So a real, massive commitment was being agreed in order to conceal the fact of the error. And all this was kept secret from the press, from parliament, and ultimately the public.' The impact on Afghans There has been a great deal of scrutiny on the secrecy and the impact this will have on the public. I'll get into that with Dan later, because first I want to take the time to highlight the people in Afghanistan whose lives have been devastated by this leak. 'People have previously spoken about the western involvement in Afghanistan, the catastrophic withdrawal and the thousands of people who built their lives around the western presence who had all that taken away. But it's important to know that nowhere near enough of those people were helped. Some of them are still in hiding, some of them have been killed. There's genuine worry about their safety under the Taliban,' Dan said. One Afghan who worked as an interpreter told the Guardian 'it felt like my blood had turned to ice' when he found out his name was leaked. He hasn't been able to bring himself to tell his family of the nightmare they have been engulfed in. Other members of his family are in hiding, some have been killed. Another interpreter simply said: 'The Taliban has been actively hunting down those who worked with UK forces. I am ashamed that I put my children's lives at risk for a foreign power.' The thousands of Afghans who have not been evacuated to Britain are not expected to receive any compensation, according to a report by The Times. Dan was keen to add that Labour have since shut down the scheme that was launched to resettle applicants affected by the leak. 'They've also shut down the other two Afghan schemes. So now there's no legal route to come to the UK from Afghanistan. When Afghans do come, they generally get asylum, so we might see more of them in Calais.' Soldiers and spies named The spreadsheet had a 'key notes' column near the name of every Afghan applicant, providing extra information. This included things such as: 'worked with British military,' 'was Afghan special forces,' 'case expedited,' or even 'secretary of state says no', Dan told me. Sometimes, entries named specific UK figures vouching for people. That's how the names of more than 100 officials and soldiers, as well as a handful of MI6 officers, also got out. 'We couldn't report that until [Thursday] due to residual restrictions. There was another hearing in front of Mr Justice Chamberlain who said, 'I'm now going to hear all this in public.' But the Ministry of Defence immediately wanted an hour in closed session to talk about national security,' Dan said. How useful is this information about British forces and intelligence for Britain's enemies? 'The British state really doesn't like the names of secret service or informants coming out,' he said. The scale of the secrecy While leaks and data breaches are not uncommon, this scandal that followed is unparalleled in its scope. 'The unprecedented bit is the secrecy. The superinjunction to cover up what was initially just a mistake, though potentially dangerous, yes. But then, the extraordinary secrecy, the massive policy response that was also secret, which was kept from parliament, the press and public. It's absolutely unprecedented,' Dan said. Dan told me that much of the decision to keep this a secret was taken by the Conservatives. Ben Wallace was defence secretary until the end of August 2023, and his only role was to seek the injunction. Grant Shapps was in that role through the period of the cover-up and in charge when the superinjunction was being fought, then expanded. Other ministers, such as deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden and armed forces minister James Heappey, also knew, Dan said. The only Labour figures who knew before the election were then shadow defence secretary John Healey and speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle, both subject to the superinjunction. Due to the severity of the legal threat, Healey did not tell his party leader Keir Starmer about it. When Labour won the election, they rolled the scheme and injunction for six months, then commissioned a review in January 2025. So what's happened since? Former Tory government ministers, such as Grant Shapps, have since defended the use of the superinjunction, while Keir Starmer said former Conservative ministers have 'serious questions to answer' over the breach. It's hard to properly digest the impact this could have on public trust, Dan added. 'If you believe there's a deep state out there working against the public's interest, this is your proof. And it touches on migration, which is the most politically toxic issue of the moment.' Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Rowena Mason and Ben Quinn have a cracking report on Reform's 'scattergun campaign' to turn a Tory big beast or two to the cause. Speaking to insiders, they hear how the party has designs on nabbing a Jacob Rees-Mogg, Suella Braverman … or even a Liz Truss. Charlie Lindlar, acting deputy editor, newsletters The power over the planet is wielded by a small number of autocratic states, writes the Guardian's environment editor Fiona Harvey, and their actions, or lack thereof, could determine whether the world succeeds in limiting catastrophic climate change. Aamna Superfoods instinctively feel like one of those things you have to a special shop for. But not so, says Rachel Dixon, in this much-needed piece digging into 17 'overlooked' superfoods, including, apparently, tomatoes? Charlie Can a relationship survive if one partner suddenly goes 'woo-woo'; think, tarot cards, astrology. Well, yes, writes Emma Beddington, but only up to a point. Something my husband can attest to. Aamna Back on the food and drink theme, Elle Hunt went in search of this year's 'drink of the summer' and thinks she's found it. It's not a spicy paloma, nor this godless thing called a BuzzBall, but, she reckons, a Finnish gin concoction. Charlie Golf | Scottie Scheffler had all the time in the world to celebrate his latest major title. Sunday's British Open was never in doubt as golf's number 1 player delivered another dominant performance to win his second major this year and grab the third leg of the career grand slam. Football | England have condemned the 'online poison' of racist abuse directed at the defender Jess Carter during the European Championship in Switzerland and said they will stop taking a knee before matches because 'football needs to find another way to tackle racism'. Football | West Ham have completed the signing of the free agent Kyle Walker‑Peters, whose Southampton contract expired this summer. The former Tottenham full-back joins Graham Potter to continue the Hammers' summer business, which has been slow going so far. The Guardian has 'Revealed: £27bn bill for failings in England's mother and baby care'. The Financial Times leads with 'Downing Street faces forced retreat in Apple encryption battle with US'. The Telegraph says 'Farage: I'll build more jails to clean up streets'. The Times reports 'Reeves set to defy left over call for wealth tax'. The Mail has 'BMA's war chest to fund doctors' strikes'. The Sun leads with 'Fears over Gazza dash to A&E'. Finally, the Mirror reports on racist abuse suffered by England Lioness Jess Carter with 'We stand with Jess'. Has Elon Musk built a Nazi chatbot? Is the extreme output of X's AI chatbot Grok shifting the political dial? Chris Stokel-Walker reports. Sign up for Inside Saturday to see more of Edith Pritchett's cartoons, the best Saturday magazine content and an exclusive look behind the scenes A bit of good news to remind you that the world's not all bad Rachel Reeves is the first female chancellor of the exchequer, but she is far from alone. As the Guardian's economics editor Heather Stewart notes, the commanding heights of economic policymaking in the UK are becoming much less male. The Institute for Government's director is Hannah White, its chief economist, Gemma Tetlow, and the new director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies is Helen Miller. The Resolution Foundation is now run by Ruth Curtice, a former Treasury economist. Rain Newton-Smith, another economist, has the task of repairing the CBI's scandal-rocked reputation as its director general. Two of the four deputy governors of the Bank of England are women, too – as are the leaders of a string of powerful trades unions. 'This female takeover has been a quiet and matter-of-fact one,' Stewart writes, 'but it marks a significant change, very noticeable upon returning to covering the field, after a few years away.' Sign up here for a weekly roundup of The Upside, sent to you every Sunday And finally, the Guardian's puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Quick crossword Cryptic crossword Wordiply
Sky News
30 minutes ago
- Sky News
'Broken' water industry set to be overhauled - nine key recommendations from landmark report
The system for regulating water companies in England and Wales should be overhauled and replaced with one single body, a major review of the sector has advised. It has recommended abolishing regulator Ofwat as well as the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI), which ensures that public water supplies are safe. The report, which includes 88 recommendations, suggests a new single integrated regulator to replace existing water watchdogs, mandatory water metering, and a social tariff for vulnerable customers. The ability to block companies being taken over and the creation of eight new regional water authorities with another for all of Wales to deliver local priorities, has also been suggested. The review, the largest into the water industry since privatisation in the 1980s, was undertaken by Sir Jon Cunliffe, a career civil servant who oversaw the biggest clean-up of Britain's banking system in the wake of the financial crash. He was coaxed out of retirement by Environment Secretary Steve Reed to lead the Independent Water Commission. • Single integrated water regulators - a single water regulator in England and a single water regulator in Wales. In England, this would replace Ofwat, the Drinking Water Inspectorate and water-environment related functions from the Environment Agency and Natural England • Eight new regional water system planning authorities in England and one national authority in Wales • Greater consumer protection - this includes upgrading the consumer body Consumer Council for Water into an Ombudsman for Water to give stronger protection to customers and a clearer route to resolving complaints • Stronger environmental regulation, including compulsory water meters • Tighter oversight of water company ownership and governance, including new powers for the regulator to block changes in water company ownership • Public health reforms - this aims to better manage public health risks in water, recognising the many people who swim, surf and enjoy other water-based activities • Fundamental reset of economic regulation - including changes to ensure companies are investing in and maintaining assets • Clear strategic direction - a new long-term National Water Strategy should be published by both the UK and Welsh governments with a "minimum horizon of 25 years" • Infrastructure and asset health reforms - including new requirements for companies to map and assess their assets and new resilience standards In a speech responding to Sir Jon's report, Mr Reed is set to describe the water industry as "broken" and welcome the commission's recommendations to ensure "the failures of the past can never happen again". Final recommendations of the commission have been published on Monday morning to clean up the sector and improve public confidence. Major other suggested steps for the government include greater consumer protection by upgrading the Consumer Council for Water into an ombudsman with advocacy duties being transferred to Citizens Advice. Stronger and updated regulations have been proposed by Sir Jon, including compulsory water metering, changes to wholesale tariffs for industrial users and greater water reuse and rainwater harvesting schemes. A social tariff is also recommended. Oversight of companies via the ability to block changes in ownership of water businesses and the addition of "public benefit" clauses in water company licences. To boost company financial resilience, as the UK's biggest provider Thames Water struggles to remain in private ownership, the commission has recommended minimum financial requirements, like banks are subject to. It's hoped this will, in turn, make companies more appealing to potential investors. The public health element of water has been recognised, and senior public health representation has been recommended for regional water planning authorities, as have new laws to address pollutants like forever chemicals and microplastics. A "supervisory" approach has been recommended to intervene before things like pollution occur, rather than penalising the businesses after the event. A long-term, 25-year national water strategy should be published by the UK and Welsh governments, with ministerial priorities given to water firms every five years. Companies should also be required to map and assess their assets and resilience Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Report will mark conclusion of Jersey child online safety review
A report is set to be produced as part of a review examining whether measures to keep Jersey children safe from harm online are sufficiently Children, Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel said it had finished gathering evidence and aimed to release the report, with recommendations for the government, in September. It said six public hearings had been held as part of the review and it had received a number of submissions from key stakeholders and members of the of the panel, Deputy Catherine Curtis, said "key themes" had emerged as part of the investigation. She said: "The contributions we have received have helped highlight both the progress that has been made and the significant challenges that remain in keeping children safe online. "Key themes that have emerged include the growing risk of exposure to harmful content on social media platforms, the need for better digital literacy education both in and out of school and the use of mobile phones."The States of Jersey said several government policies had been introduced since the review launched in February, "most notably the ban on mobile phones in schools"."Our next steps will involve analysing the evidence received in detail and preparing a report with clear, actionable recommendations," Curtis added.
