Isles of Scilly helicopter passenger service expands fleet
"The addition of a third aircraft will make a significant investment in the resilience, reliability and extra flights to the islands which is obviously what we need," Mr Page told BBC Radio Cornwall.He added: "Initially we'll lease it [the aircraft] for a long-term period with the aim, eventually, to purchase it like we've done with the other two. "The two we're running at the moment ranged between about £15m and £20m."
Mr Page said the business had connected with the community and held classes for schools and invited the local Women's Institute group for a tour. "It's an ambition of mine to really connect with our neighbours and the community and we have worked hard as a team to do that over the past three years," he said. Penzance Helicopters expect to receive their new aircraft in August and have it in operation for summer 2026.
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Daily Mail
12 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
HUGO DUNCAN: Too much G7 hubris from Chancellor
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The Sun
44 minutes ago
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Six ways parents can keep costs low during expensive summer holidays through vouchers, clubs and freebies
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From free meals and clubs to discounted trips and help with childcare, there are plenty of ways to make the most of the holidays without spending a fortune. 2
BBC News
44 minutes ago
- BBC News
How much sewage is spilled in rivers, lakes and the sea near you?
Water companies spilled raw sewage for a record time of 3.61m hours into sea and rivers in England in 2024, according to data from the Environment allow a limited discharge of sewage in periods of excess rain, but environmental groups remain concerned that the levels post a threat to wildlife and a health risk to swimmers. How much sewage is released into the seas and rivers in England? Sewage spills into England's lakes, rivers and seas by water companies increased slightly in 2024 to 3.614 million hours up from 3.606 million hours in 2023. However, the Environment Agency said that the total number of spills were down - meaning that on average spills in 2024 were longer in UK, the industry body for sewerage companies, has previously said spills are "unacceptable", but that it had a plan "to end water sewage flowing into all waterways" which involved significant infrastructure July data from the Environment Agency also showed that pollution incidents by water companies, which can result from spilled sewage and other contaminants, hit record levels. Of these there were 75 serious incidents - where there is threat to aquatic and human health - and Thames Water was responsible for 33 of data for the devolved nations is released separately. Northern Ireland does not currently monitor real-time spills and although Scotland has made efforts to increase monitoring, it only collects data from 27% of spill sites. In Wales, hours of spills was down in 2024 by 11%, but pollution incidents hit a ten-year high. Why is sewage released into the sea and rivers? Most of the UK has a combined sewerage system, meaning that both rainwater and wastewater - from toilets, bathrooms and kitchens - are carried in the same is usually sent to a sewage treatment capacity can sometimes be exceeded during heavy rainfall, especially if dry ground cannot quickly absorb large quantities of could lead to inundation of sewage works and potential flooding of homes, roads and open system is therefore designed to overflow occasionally, and discharge excess wastewater into the sea and rivers from combined sewer overflows (CSOs). What is a dry spill and when do they occur? According to industry regulator Ofwat, some water companies have been "routinely releasing sewage" outside times of heavy downpours, in breach of their permits - known as dry spilling. It has said this is a result of companies failing to manage their wastewater treatment plants leading to sewage overflowing into rivers and lakes before being year, the BBC uncovered 6,000 potential dry spills by England's water companies in if it is raining, water company permits also require them to treat a minimum amount of sewage before releasing dumped illegally in Windermere over three years What is being done to tackle sewage discharges? Ageing infrastructure has been identified by both the industry, government and campaigners as one of the main reasons for sewage the end of last year Ofwat agreed that water companies in England and Wales would spend a total £104bn over the next five years to make upgrades as well as secure water supplies - £20bn of that would go specifically to tackling sewage UK, the industry body, said it would be the "most ambitious modernisation of sewers since the Victorian era".But there has been criticism from environmental campaigners that customers' bills have had to rise significantly to help pay for a share of these changes, whilst water companies continue to pay out dividends to bills: How much will I have to pay?Since Labour came into government in Summer 2024 it has also announced a number of new policies:Restricting water company bonusesLaunch of an Independent Water Commission chaired by former deputy Bank of England governor Sir Jon CunliffeBanning wet wipes containing plastic - to reduce blockages What are the health risks of swimming in polluted water? In May 2024, a team of the UK's top engineers and scientists warned of the growing public health risk from human faeces in the country's rivers, and called for more regular presence of faeces can expose people to bacteria such as salmonella and which cause diarrhoea and vomiting, or viruses like hepatitis A which can lead to liver infection. How can I check if the sea near me is clean? Every week between May and September, the Environment Agency measures the water quality at bathing sites across England, and in some places it issues daily pollution risk forecasts. It is also proposing to extend the bathing season which would provide year round can search its website by location. There are similar websites where you can find out about beaches and bathing water in Scotland, Wales or Northern at the end of last year Water UK - the industry body - launched the National Storm Overflow Hub where almost real-time discharges can be seen across all of England's overflow points. But this does not contain data on the volume of sewage discharge or the presence of organisms carrying faecal-oral disease in the water. How clean are UK waters overall? Sewage spills have only been routinely monitored for a few years, so it is difficult to tell exactly how they have changed over overall water quality has been monitored for decades. This also accounts for other sources of pollution, such as May 2023, the Environment Agency said that 16% of assessed surface waters in England achieved "good" ecological status, including:14% of rivers and lakes19% of estuaries45% of coastal waters93% of designated bathing watersWater quality is generally higher in other parts of the Scotland, around two-thirds of surface waters are classed as having "good" ecological Wales the figure is 40%, and in Northern Ireland 31%.
