Try GOLD - Free

Right of chalk stream to flow unimpeded and unpolluted is recognised

The Guardian

|

July 31, 2025

The right of a famous chalk stream, the Test in Hampshire, to flow freely and unpolluted has been officially recognised by politicians.

- Steven Morris

Councillors on Test Valley borough council voted unanimously to acknowledge "the intrinsic rights" of the rivers within its boundaries, including the Test, which is renowned for its trout and fly-fishing.

It means councillors and officials will have to keep the Test front and centre when making decisions on planning, land use, water management and biodiversity.

Members of the Conservative-led council promised to support efforts by citizens to monitor the Test and ask the UK government to publish an annual "state of the rivers" report to track progress in protecting river ecosystems.

MORE STORIES FROM The Guardian

The Guardian

The Guardian

French PM ousted after losing confidence vote

François Bayrou has been ousted in a confidence vote after only nine months as prime minister, collapsing his minority government and plunging France into a political crisis.

time to read

3 mins

September 09, 2025

The Guardian

The stability Macron says he needs at home is proving to be more elusive by the day

As the French president, Emmanuel Macron, faces a crucial moment on the international stage this month, with the recognition of a Palestinian state at the UN general assembly and diplomacy over Gaza and Ukraine, he has again been shaken by a damaging political crisis at home.

time to read

2 mins

September 09, 2025

The Guardian

The Guardian

Revealed Johnson traded PM contacts for business deals

A trove of leaked data from Boris Johnson's private office reveals how the former prime minister has been profiting from contacts and influence he gained in office in a possible breach of ethics and lobbying rules.

time to read

3 mins

September 09, 2025

The Guardian

The Guardian

'Afraid of nothing' Tuchel certain England are ready for Belgrade bearpit

Thomas Tuchel has said England's youngsters will have no fear against Serbia and he has backed his team to make a statement in their daunting World Cup qualifier in Belgrade.

time to read

3 mins

September 09, 2025

The Guardian

The Guardian

Stately Shakespeare drama finds an emotional flourish

Maggie O'Farrell's lauded 2020 novel, Hamnet, is a dense and lyrical imagining of the lives of William Shakespeare's family, full of interior thought and lush descriptions of the physical world.

time to read

2 mins

September 09, 2025

The Guardian

The Guardian

Scam central Myanmar's brutal boom in web fraud compounds

Five years ago, the land now home to KK Park - a vast, heavily guarded complex stretching for 210 hectares (520 acres) along the churning Moei River, which forms Myanmar's border with Thailand - was little more than empty fields.

time to read

3 mins

September 09, 2025

The Guardian

The Guardian

England's rout of South Africa fails to mask deeper issues

Team's crushing victory in final ODI match showcased great potential but struggle for series wins continues

time to read

3 mins

September 09, 2025

The Guardian

Ex-chancellor to 'miss out on large windfall' from bank sale

George Osborne is expected to miss out on a large windfall payment from the $196m (£145m) takeover of Robey Warshaw, the investment bank where the former Conservative chancellor has been working since 2021.

time to read

1 mins

September 09, 2025

The Guardian

Ministers revive league table rankings of English hospitals

Labour has published the first football-style league tables to rank hospitals in England from best to worst since the early 2000s, despite warnings they will not help patients choose where to seek their NHS care.

time to read

2 mins

September 09, 2025

The Guardian

The Guardian

Kane hoping to see 'best version of ourselves' in Belgrade test

England captain has good memories of the old Red Star Stadium, despite its intimidating reputation

time to read

4 mins

September 09, 2025

Listen

Translate

Share

-
+

Change font size