Whilst proper regulatory action is a good start, I just don’t see how this record fine from Ofwat translates into boots on the ground action to fix our broken water infrastructure. What we need in simple terms is: 1. Fines like this to fund a team on *every* river in the

To save you wading through over 100 pages of guff, I can inform you that amongst their recommendations to solve the “deep rooted, systemic problems” of the water industry, the Independent Water Commission report does not even consider novel solutions, like: - nationalisation. -

Revealed: 5,000 English nature sites at risk under Labour’s planning proposals theguardian.com/environment/20…

The failure of our planning system for rivers, in one photo. The River Roding through Ilford is in the worst state of anywhere on the river: canalised in concrete, covered in rubbish, polluted with sewage & road runoff & forgotten about. So when a developer was given permission

A little egret hunting directly underneath a huge motorway junction, in the River Roding at Debden today. Roads have destroyed so much beauty & life in the Roding Valley, but Nature refuses to give in!

Every year, as midsummer approaches, the common reed along our rivers & coasts accelerates its frenetic growth &, if I go away for a few days, I discover on my return that I basically live in a jungle in Zone 4 London. The sunlight illuminates myriad shades of green & even the

This confirms what I and other water activists have been saying for years: Thames Water is ‘environmentally bankrupt’ in the sense that if the law was enforced against them for all the illegal sewage spills they are committing, they would be insolvent. What other business would

Why I'm backing Zack Polanksi in The Green Party leadership elections. #backzack And join the Green Party before July 31 to have your say.

Not confirmed whether it’s true yet, but the deregulation ‘destroy nature for cash’ lobbyists ‘Looking for Growth’ have apparently been leaked amendments to the Planning Bill. If these amendments are real, they look like a reasonable compromise, balancing the needs of nature &

The infamous bat tunnel is a symptom of our failure to properly weave nature into our countryside, towns & cities. We push species into ever smaller enclaves & then have to spend huge sums trying to protect the last remaining creatures. If we did things better, bats would be so

I was getting changed in my bedroom today & felt like I was being watched. I spun round to see this cheeky heron eyeing me up. There’s a better class of peeping tom out on the river!

I’m delighted Rachel Millward has decided to stand for Deputy Leader of the Green Party & I’m wholeheartedly backing her for this role. I’ve known Rachel as a friend & fellow nature activist for many years. She cares deeply for the protection & restoration of the natural world,

I was on my boat late last night & thought I heard a scrabbling noise coming from outside. I saw movement out of the corner of my eye & looked up to see a fox had come through my open boat hatch & was climbing into my bed! It didn’t flinch or run away when I turned to it &

Is there anything marshes can’t do? The recent heatwaves have shown the cooling properties provided by urban wetlands. I live in a tidal marsh on the River Roding & on hot days the temperatures have been noticeably cooler, not just in the marsh itself but also in the built up

Leaving aside all the other criticisms, the proscription of Palestine Action is a monumentally stupid action from the perspective of the legitimacy of the state & the legal system. The draconian powers of the Terrorism Act 2000 worked when they were confined to organisations that

I recently got stopped & ticketed by the City of London Police for, & I kid you not, “cycling no handed”. Even though it’s clearly not an offence, the officer said they were ticketing me under the Human Rights Act as I was infringing other people’s Article 2 ‘Right to Life’, in

With the hot weather we’ve been having this summer, the local insects, birds & wildlife have really been appreciating the newly completed pond beside the River Roding in Barking. I had the idea for creating one of the largest ponds alongside the river in January, & this pond

Interesting legal question: how many orders of magnitude does the prohibition on supporting Palestine Action extend to? Holding a sign saying “I support Palestine Action” would appear to breach the law. What about those who explicitly state they do not support Palestine