When you imagine public transport of the future, it’s easy to picture flying trains and driverless buses, hurtling around Fifth Element-style. But the reality of our public transport system in 2030 will likely be somewhat different — with the biggest changes those we can’t see at all.

When you imagine public transport of the future, it’s easy to picture flying trains and driverless buses, hurtling around Fifth Element-style. But the reality of our public transport system in 2030 will likely be somewhat different — with the biggest changes those we can’t see at all.

Every year, more than 9,000 Londoners die prematurely from long-term exposure to air pollution. Many live in areas where air pollution exceeds safe legal levels — mayor Sadiq Khan has described it as “nothing less than a serious public health crisis”.

Every year, more than 9,000 Londoners die prematurely from long-term exposure to air pollution. Many live in areas where air pollution exceeds safe legal levels — mayor Sadiq Khan has described it as “nothing less than a serious public health crisis”.

The desire to move to an electric transport future is clear — but there are also barriers to achieving this transformation at consumer, business and policy levels.
































For many of us considering buying an electric vehicle, the most obvious…

The desire to move to an electric transport future is clear — but there are also barriers to achieving this transformation at consumer, business and policy levels.
































For many of us considering buying an electric vehicle, the most obvious…

When it comes to deliveries, we rarely spend time considering how crucial supplies arrive at their destination — until they don’t. “People don’t think about freight and logistics until something doesn’t arrive,” notes Natalie Chapman, head of urban policy at the Freight Transport Association.

When it comes to deliveries, we rarely spend time considering how crucial supplies arrive at their destination — until they don’t. “People don’t think about freight and logistics until something doesn’t arrive,” notes Natalie Chapman, head of urban policy at the Freight Transport Association.

Vehicle ownership in Britain has changed dramatically in the past 50 years. By the start of the 1970s, half of all households owned one or more cars, but by 1981, 15 per cent owned two or more cars — and by 2016, a third of all households had at least two cars at home.

Vehicle ownership in Britain has changed dramatically in the past 50 years. By the start of the 1970s, half of all households owned one or more cars, but by 1981, 15 per cent owned two or more cars — and by 2016, a third of all households had at least two cars at home.

I’m the kind of person whose phone battery alert is always angrily flashing red. It drains lower and lower until I snatch a frayed charger lead from somewhere and give it a little boost. And then some kind of vital phone session — a work call, an urgent dip into Instagram— pulls it off charge and it’s hovering at 10 per cent once more.

With transport responsible for 22% of the world’s greenhouse gases every year, there has been a rise in new transportation schemes around the globe that aim to reduce carbon emissions.
































Similar models to London’s Ultra Low Emission…

London's Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), the traffic charging scheme targeting disel and other worst polluting vehicles, is due to be significantly expanded next year as the capital steps up efforts to reduce harmful emissions and improve air quality for its inhabitants.

Which area of London is the most anxious? Where do people report feeling the most depressed? By looking at data from Babylon’s Healthcheck — a digital tool that provides an assessment of your current and future state of health, based on answers to clinically designed questions — we can see that those living north of the river are more likely to be stressed and anxious; while women and…

Britain has now entered into the ‘delay stage’ of the coronavirus prevention strategy, and that might mean more of us will be encouraged to work from home.
































Over four million people in the country already work in this way, according to…

It’s 2016 and I’m standing outside Estée Lauder’s dazzling New York headquarters. To my left, protesters demonstrate in front of Trump Tower. To my right, pure midtown, Big Apple buzz. But nothing can distract me from the task ahead: I’ve been given the opportunity to pitch my business idea to a room of stakeholders from the world’s most recognisable and prestigious…

Ninety-eight per cent of MPs believe compostable packaging alternatives can partially solve the UK’s problems with plastic pollution, according to new research.
































A poll of 100 of the 650 MPs was conducted by market research agency…

The battle against plastic pollution may be boosted from an unlikely source – hungry caterpillars.
































In a recent study, larva of the greater wax moth Galleria mellonella were found capable of consuming and metabolising polyethylene –

Areas of Manchester city centre still recorded ‘dangerously high’ levels of pollution weeks into lockdown, experts have found. In some areas of Manchester nitrogen oxide readings dropped by more than 40 per cent in the three weeks after the coronavirus lockdown began. But several sites, such as the Mancunian Way, continued to have high levels of the pollutant. Scientists at Manchester Metropolitan University say this could be because transport doesn’t…

A huge forest stretching from Liverpool to Hull is coming to the North and planting has begun in Greater Manchester. The Great Northern Forest scheme has kickstarted, with plans for more than 50 million trees to be planted in a 120 mile corridor across the north of England within a 25 year window. The forest will connect Liverpool, Manchester and Lancaster to the West with Sheffield, Leeds and Hull to the East. By October 2019, 600,000 trees had already been planted as part…

Cyclists have praised new pop-up cycle lanes installed along the A56 – with one saying it is the “first time they have felt safe in 40 years of commuting”. Trafford Council announced its plans to close one lane of the A56, the main road from the borough into central Manchester, to make space for cyclists and pedestrians earlier this month. Now the scheme is well and truly under way, with more routes being added and new speed restrictions in place.

It was ironically around the publication of her book Eat Happy that Melissa Hemsley faced one of her lowest moments. “I remember it was January 2018 and it was Mental Health Awareness Week so I posted a picture of me and just wrote honestly about how I was feeling,” she says.

A special school’s controversial plan for a £45m revamp has been given the green light by the government following a public inquiry. The decision to allow the Seashell Trust to go ahead with the radical overhaul - part-funded by 325 green belt homes - overturns Stockport council’s 2018 refusal of the application. Planning Inspector Michael Boniface heard evidence from the trust, the council and local campaigners the Heald Green Action Group during a six week…

The government has declined to reassure town halls that they will be fully paid back for financial losses during the covid-19 crisis - shortfalls local leaders warn would result in ‘catastrophic’ further cuts to frontline services. Read More
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At the start of the pandemic, local authorities were assured by ministers that they would be reimbursed for the extra financial burden of the pandemic, currently predicted to reach more than £500m across…

People are now banned from parking near a popular walking spot after too many were flocking from miles around. The move comes as Trafford Council attempts to ensure people restrict their movements as part of the UK-wide lockdown during the coronavirus outbreak. Sale Water Park, an area of countryside, parkland and a lake, normally attracts hundreds of people every day but council bosses want to restrict visitors to nearby residents who can walk there to exercise. Now, after…

UK electric vehicle company Arrival has acquired £85m investment from Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Motors Corporation, it was announced today.
































Lifting the business to £3bn in value, the deal makes Arrival one of the UK's largest…

You may know him as the bassist of boyband McFly or the winner of I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here 2011. But Dougie Poynter has recently added another achievement to his CV: author of kids’ anti-plastic manual, Plastic Sucks! 

More than 1,000 businesses are started every day in the UK. But according to Government research, women are half as likely as men to start their own company, creating a “significant pool” of under-utilised talent. 
































These four…

Trafford Council has temporarily brought back its green waste bin collections on a limited basis. The authority said coronavirus is continuing to impact collections and its ability to provide a full waste and recycling service. However, the new limited service will start next week and will run for two weeks, finishing on Friday April 17. The council explained this is only possible by diverting resources from other services, but will allow for a one off final collection to…

A bin lorry crew was attacked and pelted with a brick during a round in Trafford. The workers were collecting bins in Partington when a group of youths attacked them, throwing objects at the crew and a brick into the back of their lorry. The incident took place at the junction of Derbyshire Road and Tulip Road on Wednesday. The damaged lorry had to be taken out of service to be repaired. Thankfully, no one was hurt in the incident which Trafford Council confirmed was reported…

St Ann’s Hospice plans to build a £20m new facility on land next to its site in Heald Green. Once built, the current hospice would be demolished to make way for 40 new homes - with the new residential development part-funding the project, The hospice celebrates its 50th anniversary next year, having been built in 1971 as an extension to the Victorian era St Ann’s Hospital, which became part of Cheadle Royal in 1887. Paul Jarvis, director of business…

People are being asked to report any takeaways not complying with the new restrictions during the COVID-19 outbreak. Restaurants and cafes offering takeaway food have been instructed by Trafford Council to carefully follow Government advice to keep their customers safe. Guidelines have been issued to ensure social distancing rules are being followed to prevent the spread of coronavirus, especially when customers pick up their food from premises. These guidelines include: No…

Bin collections are being disrupted in parts of Greater Manchester as the coronavirus crisis piles pressure on local authorities. Residents have been asked to stop putting out certain types of waste for the foreseeable future, while also taking steps to stop the virus spreading to council workers. All househould waste recycling centres in Greater Manchester - except Wigan - are also closed until further notice. With staff numbers dwindling, councils are facing difficult…

Trafford Council has suspended green bin collections and closed its playgrounds over the COVID-19 outbreak - and is reviewing whether or not it will need to close parks too. As thousands thronged to beauty spots, parks and national reserves over the weekend, Trafford Council is pleading with its residents to adhere to social distancing rules as the spread of coronavirus accelerates. The authority is now reviewing how some services run in the borough in order to keep both its…

An adorable video featuring children from a Trafford school thanks mums everywhere this Mother’s Day. Children from St Hilda’s C of E Primary School in Firswood, Stretford, made cards for their mums and learnt a poem off by heart to recite for the video. Their headteacher, Carla McCoy, praised the ‘lovely’ video for Tiny Happy People, a venture which is designed to tackle the pre-school language and communication gap in Greater Manchester. 

Public spaces across Bury are set to shut in a bid to reduce the transmission of coronavirus. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has told pubs, restaurants, gyms and leisure centres to shut after tonight to reduce social contact. Following the announcement, council bosses confirmed they would be temporarily shutting Castle Leisure Centre in Bury, as well as leisure centres in Ramsbottom and Radcliffe. The borough’s three civic halls will also be closed: Ramsbottom Civic,

Formal complaints against Trafford council over its maligned bin collection services have been upheld by a watchdog. The town hall now has to change the way it investigates missed bin collections after the Local Government Ombudsman received a large 'volume of complaints' over the authority's handling of its waste management service. Bin collections in Trafford, which the council contracted out to Amey PLC to provide as part of the OneTrafford partnership, have been a…

A man who told homeowners he would remove their rubbish before dumping it in the street has been fined £3,500. Sandor Petrovics pleaded guilty to two counts of flytipping at Manchester Magistrates Court on Tuesday after a long investigation by Bury Council and the police. The 54-year-old, from Wainsford Walk, Oldham, was found to have ditched two piles of rubbish on the same day after posting on websites as Kevin Roy Gardening Service and telling people he could…

An animal lover has been left ‘heartbroken’ after Stockport council workers sent her dead cat for cremation without her knowledge. The authority says it scanned ‘Snaps’  - Gemma Robertshaw’s beloved 18-year-old Persian moggy - but was unable to detect an electronic chip, leaving it no choice but to dispose of the body. But Gemma says the pet was wearing a collar tag with her contact details, which she claims would have been found by anyone…

Manchester council has issued a call to ‘collective action’ on the climate crisis after unveiling ambitious proposals to halve its greenhouse gas emissions by 2025. Having pledged to be carbon-neutral within 18 years, the town hall wants to reduce its output by making changes to its buildings, energy consumption and transport fleet. Nearly 35,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide has been cut in the last decade, though the council still produces around 30,000 tonnes.

Town hall leader Elise Wilson hailed Stockport council ’s ‘people’s budget’ as Labour's financial plan for the coming year was passed by a majority vote. It includes a 3.99pc hike to council tax as well as a £4.2m package of cuts to crisis funding, museums, libraries and transport for special needs children. Council tax payers will also stump up an average of £24 for the Greater Manchester Mayor’s general and policing precepts,

Council tax is set to rise by nearly five per cent as local authorities face a funding gap of £40m. Local Democracy Reporter JOSEPH TIMAN reveals which services and new projects the council will fund in future years. Bury Council was expected to set its budget for the next financial year at the town hall last night. After cumulative cuts of £102m since 2010, the council, which now works together with the health commissioner, still faces a multi-million-pound…

A council said it will step in if it has to if flooding in the borough gets worse. Trafford Council is prepared to take action if the flooding situation in the borough forces people from their homes. Currently, floodwaters have not put anyone at risk of having to abandon their properties, but Trafford Council has reassured people it is ready to step in if it has to. Over the weekend, high river levels led to the Environment Agency setting up a 24 hour control room near the…

Greater Manchester leaders have renewed calls for the government to urgently provide funding towards their Clean Air Plan ahead of a parliamentary debate on new environmental legislation. A ‘scandalous’ impasse has delayed the introduction of a Clean Air Zone (CAZ) , which would charge drivers of the most polluting vehicles using the region’s roads from 2021. The Clean Air Plan would also provide money to allow businesses to upgrade their vehicles, as well…

Salford residents have banded together to repair the damage done to their community centre by reckless vandals. Last month the Boothstown Community Centre in Worsley was found with destroyed hanging baskets, smashed bedding plant boxes and planters had been ripped off the walls of the cherished community centre. The vandals also caused more than £1,000 worth of damage to the plant watering system of the building. The community centre is a well loved and well used…

A secure children’s home in Salford has received an ‘outstanding’ grade by inspectors Ofsted, who said it offered children ‘life-changing opportunities’. Inspectors who visited the home in January found children that feel safe, trust the adults who support them and go on to exceed expectations. One child told inspectors about staff: “‘They have brought me up.’” Ofsted does not publish the names or addresses of…

Bury Council has been accused of not acting on its pledges seven months after declaring a climate emergency. The local authority voted through an “aspiration” to become carbon neutral by 2030 in July. It also committed to creating a cross-party stakeholder panel to develop a strategic plan and report back to the council within six months. But speaking at a town hall meeting, Bury Climate Action campaigner Susan Sollazzi asked councillors why a plan has still not…

Areas of the UK are in “uncharted territory” after record levels of flooding - with more heavy rain forecast for later in the week. Eight severe flood warnings, indicating a danger to life, were in place on Tuesday morning (February 18) across England and Wales in the wake of Storm Dennis. Shrewsbury town centre in Shropshire is cut off by road due to flooding after the River Severn reached its highest level there in 20 years. Communities across the country are…

Salford was placed at risk of flooding by the Environment Agency last weekend but the city's brand new £10m flood defences managed to stay strong. Storm Ciara battered Greater Manchester last weekend with heavy gusts, rain and many homes up and down the region flooded and damaged. Unlike neighbouring Bury, which saw residents evacuated from their homes as the River Irwell bursts its banks and parks destroyed as Storm Ciara swept through, Salford fared much better.

Plans for a new 729-space car park near Manchester Airport have been approved - despite pleas from climate activists to reject it after the town hall declared a climate emergency. Manchester City Council gave the green light to the temporary car park, just off Enterprise Way, in yesterday’s planning meeting. The e-commerce company the Hut Group behind the application said the car park was necessary for its employees near the airport while construction work was…

Bury Council has been accused of not acting on its pledges seven months after declaring a climate emergency. The local authority voted through an “aspiration” to become carbon neutral by 2030 in July. It also committed to creating a cross-party stakeholder panel to develop a strategic plan and report back to the council within six months. But speaking at a town hall meeting, Bury Climate Action campaigner Susan Sollazzi asked councillors why a plan has still…

Big changes could be on the way for two Trafford villages, and the deadline for people having their say on the plans has been extended. Draft plans for Sale Moor and Hale Village have been put forward by Trafford Council and a public consultation was due to finish on February 11, but this has now been extended by four weeks until March 10. Images show the plans in detail and some of the proposals include road changes, speed limit reductions and changes to shop front…

Most people love the idea of having a conservatory, but making it a year-round investment can be tricky.  During the summer months it feels fantastic having that extra space to soak up the sunshine and relax with the family. But when winter comes rolling around it can be a completely different story. With cold air seeping in the room can either go unused for half of the year, or you see your heating bills sky rocket. In fact, according to the Energy Saving Trust you…

Resurfacing the ring road around Bury town centre would cost the local authority around £4m, the councillor responsible for the borough’s highways has said. Cllr Alan Quinn, cabinet member for environment, warned that the council will soon be left with no choice but to close parts of the A58, Peel Way, Derby Way and Jubilee Way for repair work. He said: “We need to look at spending money on the ring road because that’s getting hammered. If we get to…

A council has extended its deadline for a "repeatedly failing" bin company, despite months of complaints from residents and the service remaining an "extreme concern".  Trafford Council gave their waste contractor firm, Amey, until Friday January 31 to dramatically improve services for residents, but say "the service is not yet meeting standards residents expect". Problems with Amey's bin collections, alongside its street and park cleansing services, have persisted for…

“Whilst its again important to stress that limited, controlled flaring is an authorised and important safety feature of industrial sites, we’ve heard clearly from over 380 reports to SEPA of the impact this further flaring event is having on local communities.

“Having referred ExxonMobil Chemical Limited to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) for consideration of prosecution related to Easter 2019 flaring, we remain frustrated by the frequency of flaring…

06 April 2020


Warning that “if you deliberately do the wrong thing, you’ll get the uncompromising regulator your behaviour deserves.”


SEPA confirms next steps in its response to the “biggest public health emergency in living memory.”
SEPA will play its role in helping Scotland get through this public health emergency.
SEPA will partner with other regulators,

18 February 2020


Salmon have been spotted swimming upstream in an Inverclyde river for the first time in over 100 years following the successful adaptation of a redundant industrial weir.

Work has been carried out at Gotter Water Weir, in Quarrier’s Village, by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) to lower the existing height of the weir and increase the downstream…

19 February 2020


Scottish business environmental compliance was over 90% for the fourth year in a row in the latest figures published by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). 90.5% of Scottish regulated business sites were assessed as compliant (Excellent’, ‘Good’ or ‘Broadly Compliant’) in 2018. 76.2% of Scottish regulated sites (almost 4,000 sites) rated…

14 February 2020


‘Unplanned flaring’ during ExxonMobil Chemical Limited’s Mossmorran restart is a reminder of why short and medium term solution are critical to addressing ‘unacceptable flaring’ said the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) today (Friday 14 February 2020).


While elevated flaring is a possibility during restart it was not…

03 October 2019


The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has today (3 October, 2019) launched a public consultation to inform the next steps in regulation of the finfish aquaculture sector.

The technical consultation follows one of the agency’s largest consultation programmes in late 2018, the publication of its Finfish Aquaculture Sector Plan and the introduction…

07 November 2019


Time is running out to vote in Scotland’s best-known green awards scheme. Since their inception in 1999, the VIBES Scottish Environment Business Awards have recognised more than 150 businesses that have taken significant steps to improve or reduce their impact on the environment, often saving money in the process.

To celebrate the competition’s 20th…

18 December 2019


The Scottish Environment Protection Agency today (Wednesday 18 December 2019) confirmed that Scottish farmers and landowners who hold a water abstraction licence would have until 31 January 2020 to submit annual returns.

The returns, a mandatory requirement for licence holders, ensure that their abstraction of water doesn’t impact on the ecology of…

18 December 2019


Cabinet Secretary for the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform, Roseanna Cunningham MSP, today announced the appointment of Craig Hume, Julie Hutchison, Dr Harpreet Kohli and Philip Matthews as Members of the Board of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).

Appointments
Craig Hume heads up Utopia, a computer manufacturer in Ayrshire who…

19 December 2019


The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) today (19 December 2019) updated stakeholders on the progress of its regulatory investigation into “unacceptable” flaring by ExxonMobil Chemical Limited during Easter 2019.

The agency also outlined the steps it continues to take to tackle the unacceptable impacts of flaring from the operation of the…

24 January 2020


The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) today (Friday 24 January 2020), confirmed the continuation of its ‘twin-track’ approach to the responsible restart of ExxonMobil Chemical Ltd’s Mossmorran facility in Fife.

With the agency having regular contact with the operator regarding its planned restart, SEPA confirmed it stands ready with a…

The world wide web has revolutionised how we communicate, find and use information and data.  In celebration of the launch of the world wide web twenty-seven years ago on 23rd August, this is the second of a two part blog that is shining a light on the web team that brought Scotland’s environment web to life.

Scotland’s environment web August 23, 2018

None of what you see today on Scotland’s environment web would have been possible…

In this blog, we’re shining a light on, and celebrating, some of Scotland’s most dedicated volunteer rainfall observers, who have been actively recording rainfall data, every day for decades – some dating as far back as the 1960’s. This is extremely valuable data to record in all weathers – even during the dry spell that we’ve had recently.

Scotland's environment web September 12, 2018

Celebrating dedication and…

A second data practitioners’ event was organised by the Waste Data Strategy Delivery Board and held in Perth on the 30th January 2019.

Fiona Weatherly, SEPA's Dataflows Unit February 20, 2019


The aim of this event was for attendees to:

Hear about progress made on the strategy’s action plan and how waste data is being used by others
Learn more about the electronic waste tracking project
Feed in ideas to the reporting outputs of the waste…

Butterfly Conservation Scotland’s ‘Bog Squad’ team is a volunteer task force, created to carry out rehabilitation works on damaged peatlands across Scotland with funding from Scottish Natural Heritage’s led-Peatland ACTION project. David Hill, Peatland Restoration Project Officer tells us more.

David Hill, Peatland Restoration Project officer March 15, 2019


Bog Squad volunteers at Langlands Moss (© Sara Green/Butterfly…

Waste shipments enable resources to be transported for use in industries across the world, creating a valuable commodity from discarded materials. In a modern world where natural resources are increasingly scarce, waste shipments offer an alternative to the over-use of our planet’s resources.

Laura Gillan, SEPA Graduate Trainee April 04, 2019

Scotland lacks the capacity to reprocess the amount of waste that it generates and as such we currently…

This week is national Invasive Species Week, 13-17 May, which aims to raise awareness across Great Britain about invasive species and their impacts. Vicky Hilton from the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative explains more in this latest blog.

Vicky Hilton , Scottish Invasive Species Initiative May 13, 2019

Being a project all about invasive species, here at the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative, we’re quite excited about having a whole week of lots…

To improve sharing and reuse of spatial data from the Scottish Government’s funded research on natural assets (that is not available anywhere else), partners created a web app (Natural Asset Register- Data Portal, NAR-DP) and established a steering group to aid continuous improvement of the NAR-DP, gradually adding datasets related to Scotland’s soils, land, biodiversity, water and cultural heritage. Kit Macleod and David Donnelly from The James Hutton Institute, tell us more.

This period of enforced change to our daily lives has undoubtedly been a time of discovery for all of us – some positive, some less so. We have rediscovered the wealth of compassion engrained within our communities, seen the speed at which financial support systems can be established to help those most in need, and seen afresh what is really important in our lives – and what is not. For me, it’s been an opportunity to reconnect with the landscape around…

This period of enforced change to our daily lives has undoubtedly been a time of discovery for all of us – some positive, some less so. We have rediscovered the wealth of compassion engrained within our communities, seen the speed at which financial support systems can be established to help those most in need, and seen afresh what is really important in our lives – and what is not. For me, it’s been an opportunity to reconnect with the landscape around…

Some people heading to Wale’s newly reopened McDonald’s drive-thrus have simply dumped their litter in car parks and beauty spots. The fast-food giant reopened 16 outlets in south Wales this week for people driving to collect meals - but there were almost immediate reports of the company’s packaging being tossed out of car windows, left at picnic spots and even blowing on beaches. People in Wales have said they can tell McDonalds has opened in their area…

Some people heading to Wale’s newly reopened McDonald’s drive-thrus have simply dumped their litter in car parks and beauty spots. The fast-food giant reopened 16 outlets in south Wales this week for people driving to collect meals - but there were almost immediate reports of the company’s packaging being tossed out of car windows, left at picnic spots and even blowing on beaches. People in Wales have said they can tell McDonalds has opened in their area…

Coronavirus has managed to disrupt most businesses up and down the country. From government advice to stay away from pubs and restaurants, to bigger companies having to send staff home, the pandemic is proving to be a tough time to be in business. But that hasn’t stopped one new company from ploughing on with launching its new venture. On Saturday, March 14, a brand new “zero-waste” shop opened its doors for the first time and the owner is determined not to…

Walking along the sea wall on the Wentlooge Marsh, on the green, fertile strip of land nestled between the bustle of Cardiff and Newport, everything is idyllic. Or so it seems. Warning: this article contains an image of a dead animal which some readers might find distressing. In a nearby local café, a handful of residents have come together for the first time to discuss the ongoing issue blighting the levels and their communities - fly-tipping. The Gwent Levels are…

It’s a pleasant, sunny day in Pontypridd, temperate for this time of year. The sunshine glints above the hills that surround the town and the vista is that of a picture postcard. The weather system has finally brought a much needed inner calm to the valleys, a week after Storm Dennis wrought devastation in the town, a month’s worth of rain falling in a 24-hour deluge causing rivers to swell and burst their banks across the region. Besides the Taff in Sion Street,

The Prince of Wales has heard of the devastation caused by flooding to businesses and homes in south Wales. Charles met with residents and business owners in the Valleys town of Pontypridd, where 80 shops have been flooded in the centre alone. It is estimated that 1,100 properties - both residential and commercial - have been affected in the Rhondda Cynon Taf area. The heir to the throne first spoke to Emma Jamal, 40, the owner of KooKoo Madame, a boutique shop that…

A recycling company that illegally dumped 10,000 tonnes of waste blocked a watercourse and caused nearby homes to flood. The incident, which required a £380,000 clean-up operation, threatened to contaminate the River Ely and damage water supply to 32,000 properties, with machinery getting stuck in the mud as Wenvoe Recycling tried to fix the problem. Christopher Rees, for company director Anthony Gaughan, accepted: “He was clearly ill-suited to be running a…

A new report has revealed the cost of littering to the public purse in Northern Ireland. It's estimated that 1,294,164 items are littered on our streets at any one time, weighing approximately 28 tonnes. That costs the public purse £45million annually according to the new report from Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful. The Litter Composition Report was funded by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) According to the report, a…

It’s the unavoidable truth, air pollution is something that everyone experiences. Whether living in the country near fields and trees or up in the Mourne Mountains, it takes one plume of exhaust fumes from a tractor or a car to inhale enough particle matter (PM) to enter the blood stream to alter it. Tim Smedley, sustainability journalist and author of Clearing The Air states – “motor vehicles, in particular those powered by diesel engines, are now pumping…

Protected habitats and species off Islandmagee in Co Antrim“are under considerable threat” if a gas storage project gets the go ahead, say wildlife and environmental groups. InfraStrata, which now owns Harland & Wolff, wants to hollow out seven large caverns under Larne Lough for gas storage and pump the waste water and dissolved salt brine into the North Sea at Islandmagee. But the Northern Ireland Marine Task Force - a coalition of environmental NGOs,

The NI Science Festival is championing sustainability in this year’s packed programme of events and workshops from February 13 – 23. Sustainable living can happen cost effectively by shopping local, knowing your labels and growing a wild garden. Here are the top 10 pieces of advice from NI Science Festival participants - scientists from the School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, Dr Niamh O’Kane and Dr Paul Caplat  - to help…