Latest news with #Thames
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Charity in legal action against minister for failing to act over Thames Water
A river charity is taking legal action against the environment secretary, Steve Reed, accusing him of an unlawful failure to publish his policy on taking failing water companies into temporary nationalisation. Lawyers for River Action argue that Thames Water has breached its duties and violated its licence conditions seriously and repeatedly, making it the clearest possible case for special administration. Special administration is a temporary insolvency and restructuring process for companies that provide essential public services such as water, energy and transport. It is designed to ensure continuity of service while the company is stabilised and restructured. There is a bespoke special administration regime (SAR) for the water industry, which was created in 1991 and is designed to prioritise customers and services while putting financial interests second. Reed has said that the government is stepping up preparations to take Thames Water into special administration, indicating he will reject pleas from the company's creditors for leniency from fines and penalties. Thames Water's largest creditors control the utility and have made efforts to cut some of its debts and have offered to provide £5.3bn in new funding to try to turn it around. But River Action's head of legal, Emma Dearnaley, said the time to use the SAR process was now. 'Enough is enough,' she said. 'Why hasn't the secretary of state used special administration to fix the water sector, starting with Thames Water? 'The government has the power but won't use it, or even explain when it might trigger this process. Apparently, the government has no policy at all. That's a fundamental failure of transparency and accountability, and it's unlawful.' River Action has lodged an application for a judicial review against the secretary of state. The claim argues that the government has failed to publish its policy on when it would use the SAR process, breaching core public law duties, and that ministers have failed to develop a policy at all, breaching obligations under habitats regulations and other planning and environmental laws. Under section 24 of the Water Industry Act 1991, special administration can be triggered by a water company's failure to meet performance standards, including environmental pollution, and a breach of its statutory or licence duties in ways that are 'serious enough to make it inappropriate for the company to continue to hold its licence'. Sign up to Down to Earth The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential after newsletter promotion River Action argues that Thames Water clearly meets that threshold and has done so for years. Serious pollution incidents by Thames and other water companies were up 60% last year compared with the year before, data has revealed. There were 75 serious pollution incidents in 2024, up from 47 in 2023, Environment Agency figures show. Three companies were responsible for 61, or 81%, of the incidents: : Thames Water with 33, Southern Water, 15, and Yorkshire Water, 13. Thames Water's serious incidents more than doubled. A spokesperson for the government said: 'We are unable to comment on an ongoing legal challenge.' Thames Water was approached for comment.
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Labour council permits year-long pro-Palestine protest outside US embassy
A Labour-run council is under pressure to evict pro-Palestine protesters camped near the US embassy for nearly a year amid an outcry from residents. The Community Camp 4 Palestine (CC4Pal), situated at Nine Elms Pavilion on the Thames embankment, was set up last September, calling for an end to Israel's attacks on Gaza. The camp comprises of tents, an open kitchen area and communal seating – as well as banners, posters and Palestinian flags. The banners on display include 'End the siege on Gaza now', 'this is your genocide ', 'stop the genocide', 'free Palestine' and 'stop arming Israel'. However, locals say they have been left 'distressed and intimidated ' by the ongoing encampment. One resident who lives at nearby Embassy Gardens told The Telegraph: 'We suffer a lot from the encampment. I try to avoid walking that way where the encampment is. 'We hear a lot of chanting and noise. They [the activists] seem to vandalise the local area with a lot of stickers, banners, and graffiti, which I find distressing. 'We have complained to the council, but we have been told that they can't do anything about it.' Another said in a written complaint: 'I am appalled to see that Wandsworth Council continues to allow, surely what is an illegal encampment by the river near the American Embassy.' A third said: 'I am distressed every time I walk past here. I feel intimidated and take exception to the statements being made,' whilst a fourth added: 'The posters have increased in number over the last few months. This is totally unacceptable.' UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) is calling for the encampment to be closed down. The group has pointed out that displaying Palestinian flags and banners in a public place requires planning permission under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. In a letter to Andrew Travers, interim chief executive of London Borough of Wandsworth Council, Caroline Turner, director of UKLFI, said: 'Wandsworth Council is the owner of the land on which the activists have set up their 'encampment.' It is therefore the Council's responsibility to evict the protesters.' She added: 'The Council does not appear to have taken all reasonable steps to secure the removal of the flags or banners on its land and therefore has committed and is continuing to commit criminal offences.' Speaking to the Telegraph, Ms Turner said: 'The Council continues to drag its feet in removing the illegal encampment, which has distressed and intimidated Jewish and other residents when they walk past. 'It is Wandsworth Council's responsibility to remove this encampment with its flags, offensive posters, and slogans. We hope they will fulfill their duty and start the removal process.' 'Protect rights to peaceful assembly and expression' The Telegraph understands that the encampment will remain in place until there is a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. In a petition set up last week, CC4Pal hit back and called on council leaders to keep the camp in place in order to ' protect rights to peaceful assembly and expression.' They added: 'Our human and civic rights permit us to peacefully protest and express opposition to what the world's highest courts have deemed to be a plausible genocide and war crimes, being committed by Israel in Gaza. 'We are a diverse and inclusive group of concerned volunteers, moved by our collective humanity to act against Israeli crimes in Palestine.' A spokesperson for Wandsworth Council said: 'Throughout the period this protest has been present on the site, we have and continue to engage with the protestors and the community. 'We also work closely with the police to ensure that any instances of anti-social behaviour (ASB) or other criminal behaviour is reported and dealt with.' Last year, pro-Palestinian protesters camped outside Labour-run Hackney Council for several months, demanding civic chiefs 'divest Israeli Arms' and break a long-held twinning relationship with Haifa in Israel. Encampments and sit-ins also sprang up across British universities last year, including at the universities of Oxford, Cambridg e, Manchester, Bristol, and University College London.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Micheal Ward charged with two counts of rape
Top Boy actor Micheal Ward has been charged with two counts of rape. The 27-year-old actor – who won the EE Rising Star BAFTA award in 2020 – will appear at Thames Magistrates' Court on Thursday, August 28 for two counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault against a woman. Detective Superintendent Scott Ware, whose team is leading the Met Police's investigation, told MailOnline: 'Our specialist officers continue to support the woman who has come forward - we know investigations of this nature can have significant impact on those who make reports.' Catherine Baccas, Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS London South, said: 'Having carefully reviewed a file of evidence, the Crown Prosecution Service has authorised the Metropolitan Police to charge Micheal Ward, 27, with two counts of rape, two counts of assault by penetration, and one count of sexual assault against a woman in January 2023. 'He will appear at Thames Magistrates' Court on Thursday, August 28. 'We remind all concerned that proceedings against the suspect are active and he has a right to a fair trial. 'It is vital that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in anyway prejudice these proceedings.' He has been dropped by UK agency Olivia Bell Management. When Deadline contacted the agency after the charges were announced, an employee said: 'We no longer represent him.' Micheal is best known for his role of Jamie in Top Boy, which he starred in between 2013 and 2022. He went on to work with well known actors including Olivia Colman, Colin Firth, Joaquin Phoenix and Emma Stone. His most recent film was Ari Aster's Eddington, which debuted at this year's Cannes Film Festival.
Times
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Times
Tesla poised to switch on full self-driving system in the UK
Tesla is putting its troubles behind it by pushing ahead with the first full UK trial of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system, which allows the electric car to operate independently of its driver. A three-minute video of the test shows the Tesla Model 3 threading its way through traffic, avoiding other cars, cyclists and roadworks. A driver is seen present in the car but did not intervene during the 20-minute test as the Tesla navigated through central London at afternoon rush hour, starting south of the Thames and crossing Westminster Bridge, passing Parliament Square and Downing Street and landmarks such as Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and Nelson's Column. • Read more expert reviews, news and insights on cars and motoring Please enable cookies and other technologies to view this content. You can update your cookies preferences any time using privacy manager. Tesla has faced criticism for the fact that it has been selling the £6,800 FSD package in Britain as an option on its Model 3, and more recently Model Y, for at least six years, even though drivers cannot use it. The company blames 'regulatory issues' and says the technology is ready. One of the first to buy the package was Grant Shapps, the former transport secretary, who paid £5,800 for Full Self-Driving in 2019 but can't switch it on. Tesla says it hopes it to get approval for drivers to turn on the system within the coming months and certainly by 2026, when its £39,990 Model 3 and £44,990 Model Y fitted with Full Self-Drive will be able to self-steer and park and autonomously slow down, speed up and switch lanes. European Union countries will permit FSD to be used by the end of this year, the company predicts. • I tried the new self-driving Tesla — it was utterly terrifying The system uses eight cameras, including two forward-facing, two on each side, one at the rear and one inside the car to make sure the driver is paying attention. In the United States, where the FSD package can legally be used, accidents have been blamed on Tesla drivers allowing the car to go beyond its capabilities while they are distracted by another task. Some have filmed themselves sitting in the back seat and reading. Tesla's Full Self Driving is a level 2 on the car industry's six-point scale for autonomous vehicles, three points below full autonomy. Waymo, the operator of robot taxis in the US, uses a level 4 system that can operate without a driver on standby. Elon Musk told investors earlier this year that his company's autonomous systems would revolutionise transport. 'Once it does start to move… it will really go exponentially from there,' he said, predicting that Tesla would have 'a 99 per cent market share'.
New York Times
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
From Roman London, a Jigsaw Puzzle for the Ages
The jigsaw puzzles that Han Li assembles at the Museum of London Archaeology, or M.O.L.A., are as bewildering as a Latin riddle. Mr. Li, a building-material specialist at the institution, has spent much of the year laying out 'thousands upon thousands upon thousands' of fragments of painted wall plaster that date to the early Roman occupation of the area around London, which began in A.D. 43. Mr. Li's task would confound even jigsaw buffs. The cardboard puzzles familiar from summer camp had straight edges and corners, and you could work from the outside in. The delicate fragments that Mr. Li and his team of conservators are refashioning have irregular edges and form no apparent border. Pieces are embellished with images of lyres, candelabras, flowers, white cranes and native plants. One is illustrated with the face of a woman in tears, recognizable by her Flavian-period (A.D. 69 to 96) hairstyle. Four years ago, the plaster was recovered during an excavation at a construction site in Southwark, just south of the Thames. The scraps filled 120 assorted boxes. Mr. Li's job is to carefully arrange, categorize and restore the original artwork. The frescoes that have emerged, the most colossal of which measures 16 feet by 10 feet, were hidden from view for more than 1,800 years. The museum's haul of discarded Roman-era plaster is the largest ever amassed in the English capital. Rob Symmons, the curator of the extravagant Fishbourne Roman Palace in West Sussex, called the site 'a discovery of the first magnitude.' It is not unusual for painted wall plaster to be recovered from Roman archaeological sites, but rarely is it found in quantities that it was in Southwark, he said: 'Also, it's unusual for excavators to have the time and expertise to attempt reconstructions like the one that Han undertook.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
