Latest news with #environmentalcampaigners
The Independent
02-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
UK has warmest spring on record and driest in 50 years as climate change bites
The UK has recorded its warmest spring on record and its driest in more than 50 years, provisional Met Office figures show. The three months from March to May were also the sunniest spring on record for the UK, the figures reveal. The figures come after north-west England became the first region in the country to declare a drought following the exceptionally dry spring, farmers struggled to grow crops, and millions of households were warned they could face hosepipe bans this summer without sustained rainfall. And environmental campaigners said the latest data was a 'stark warning' that climate change was no longer a distant threat, but one which needed immediate action. Spring temperatures surpassed the long term average by 1.4C and beat the previous warmest spring in 2024, in records dating back to 1884. The Met Office said that eight of the 10 warmest springs on record had occurred since 2000 and the three warmest had been since 2017, in a sign of the changing climate. And the organisation warned that seas around the UK had experienced a marine heatwave, as sea surface temperatures reached record highs for April and May and with 'unprecedented conditions' of as much as 4C warmer than usual in some areas. By mid-May, the UK was experiencing its driest spring in more than 100 years, and although recent wet weather has eased conditions slightly, this year still ranks as the sixth driest since records began in 1836. With rainfall 40% below the average, it was the driest spring in more than 50 years across the UK, while England saw its driest spring in more than 100 years. Met Office scientist Emily Carlisle said: 'The UK's climate continues to change. What's particularly notable about spring 2025 is the combination of record warmth and sunshine, alongside very low rainfall. 'This spring shows some of the changes we're seeing in our weather patterns, with more extreme conditions, including prolonged dry, sunny weather, becoming more frequent. 'The data clearly shows that recent decades have been warmer, sunnier, and often drier than the 20th century average, although natural variation will continue to play a role in the UK's weather.' The Met Office figures show temperatures in the UK provisionally averaged 9.51C across March, April and May, just above the previous spring record of 9.37C, which was set only last year. The next warmest springs were in 2011 (9.12C), 2014 (9.02C) and 2007 (9.02C). All four nations experienced their warmest spring on record, with temperatures 1.64C above the long-term average in Northern Ireland, 1.56C above average in Scotland, 1.39C in Wales and 1.35C in England. It was also incredibly dry, with an average of 128.2mm of rain falling in the UK across March, April and May, the lowest spring total since 1974 (123.2mm) and the sixth lowest for spring since Met Office rainfall records began in 1836. The driest UK spring on record was in 1852, when just 100.7mm rain was measured. England endured its second driest spring on record this year, with just 75.8mm rain, behind only 1893 (65.7mm), while Wales saw its sixth driest spring, with 145.8mm of rain. Alec Hutchings, WWF's chief climate adviser, said: 'This new Met Office data is a stark warning that climate change is no longer a distant threat – it's here now and it needs immediate action. 'The UK Government needs a clear, credible plan to reduce emissions and put people at the heart of climate policy. It's time to unlock the investment to a low-carbon future and turn the temperature down. 'Climate action is an economic opportunity to futureproof our economy and support businesses and communities of the future.' Tom Lancaster, land, food and farming analyst at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) think tank said the rate at which climate records were falling was 'relentless'. He pointed to the hottest day ever in the UK in 2022, with 'dire impacts' on potato and vegetable growers, the wettest winter on record in 2024, following the wettest 18-month spell, which devastated the harvest, he said. 'And now farmers are having to contend with England's driest spring in over a century, that has already damaged crops, threatening another poor harvest this year.' He called for better support for farmers to adapt to extremes amid concerns the sustainable farming budget is to be cut in Chancellor Rachel Reeves' spending review next week.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Thames Water paid lawyers £1,400 an hour despite threat of collapse
Thames Water has paid its lawyers up to £1,400 an hour despite teetering on the brink of collapse, The Telegraph can reveal. As part of the latest court hearing over its £3bn rescue plan, the troubled water giant spent more than £2m on court fees alone. This includes up to £1,400 an hour for the most senior solicitors at magic circle firm, Linklaters, while it also handed its barrister almost half a million pounds in fees. The fees in question were for a three-day Court of Appeal hearing in March, which upheld a restructuring package Thames secured to stave off the threat of nationalisation. It comes after Thames revealed in February it was spending £15m a month on lawyers and its advisers, warning that the eventual restructuring bill could exceed £200m. The huge sum comes despite Britain's largest water company teetering on the brink of collapse. Thames Water's chairman Sir Adrian Montague told MPs last week the company had 'in the last year has come very close to running out of money entirely.' Thames hired Linklaters to block a legal challenge to its £3bn bailout package, which helped avoid being temporarily nationalised. Environmental campaigners and a group of Thames's junior creditors had sought to block the package in the Court of Appeals, over concerns about the high interest rates on which the emergency loan was offered. The Court of Appeals subsequently approved the package, which provides Thames Water with enough funding to keep it afloat until May 2026. Since then, the water company has come under mounting scrutiny over its bonus payouts to its top executives. Chief executive Chris Weston was paid a £195,000 bonus as part of his £2.3m pay package in 2024. Sir Adrian appeared in front of a parliamentary select committee last week where he was forced to justify the company's decision to pay out six figure bonuses. He argued that Thames needed to 'reward its staff effectively' to ensure they would not be poached by rival businesses. Sir Adrian told the select committee that: 'This business, like many businesses, needs to reward its staff effectively.' Thames Water's multi-million pound legal bills come as the fees charged by top City lawyers have surged in recent years, with some high-flying solicitors now charging more than £1,700 an hour, according research by LexisNexis. Linklaters itself generated £2.1bn in revenue in the financial year ending in April 2024, according to its most recent financial results, which saw it report a 10.3pc increase in its pre-tax profits to £942m. The law firm's partners took home £1.9m each on average, while newly-qualified solicitors at the London firm were paid salaries of £150,000. Thames Water declined to comment. Linklaters was approached for comment. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Telegraph
18-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Thames Water paid lawyers £1,400 an hour despite threat of collapse
Thames Water has paid its lawyers up to £1,400 an hour despite teetering on the brink of collapse, The Telegraph can reveal. As part of the latest court hearing over its £3bn rescue plan, the troubled water giant spent more than £2m on court fees alone. This includes up to £1,400 an hour for the most senior solicitors at magic circle firm, Linklaters, while it also handed its barrister almost half a million pounds in fees. The fees in question were for a three-day Court of Appeal hearing in March, which upheld a restructuring package Thames secured to stave off the threat of nationalisation. It comes after Thames revealed in February it was spending £15m a month on lawyers and its advisers, warning that the eventual restructuring bill could exceed £200m. The huge sum comes despite Britain's largest water company teetering on the brink of collapse. Thames Water's chairman Sir Adrian Montague told MPs last week the company had 'in the last year has come very close to running out of money entirely.' Thames hired Linklaters to block a legal challenge to its £3bn bailout package, which helped avoid being temporarily nationalised. Environmental campaigners and a group of Thames's junior creditors had sought to block the package in the Court of Appeals, over concerns about the high interest rates on which the emergency loan was offered. The Court of Appeals subsequently approved the package, which provides Thames Water with enough funding to keep it afloat until May 2026. Since then, the water company has come under mounting scrutiny over its bonus payouts to its top executives. Chief executive Chris Weston was paid a £195,000 bonus as part of his £2.3m pay package in 2024. Sir Adrian appeared in front of a parliamentary select committee last week where he was forced to justify the company's decision to pay out six figure bonuses. He argued that Thames needed to 'reward its staff effectively' to ensure they would not be poached by rival businesses. Sir Adrian told the select committee that: 'This business, like many businesses, needs to reward its staff effectively.' Thames Water's multi-million pound legal bills come as the fees charged by top City lawyers have surged in recent years, with some high-flying solicitors now charging more than £1,700 an hour, according research by LexisNexis. Linklaters itself generated £2.1bn in revenue in the financial year ending in April 2024, according to its most recent financial results, which saw it report a 10.3pc increase in its pre-tax profits to £942m. The law firm's partners took home £1.9m each on average, while newly-qualified solicitors at the London firm were paid salaries of £150,000.
