Marc Dando

It is almost unbelievable that the government is on the brink of allowing the water companies to scam the British people *once again* by letting them get away with serious criminal offences without any actual plan & commitments for fixing illegal outfalls. I will use one of the most polluting outfalls on the Roding to illustrate why this is a terrible idea. The aptly named ‘Cascades’ combined sewer overflow (CSO) discharges almost every time it rains (even lightly) for more than a few hours. It discharges more than 400 hours per year, the majority of which hours of spilling are completely illegal. Worst of all, my testing of the outfall over the past year has shown that the volume (over 80 litres a second) and concentration (up to 50ppm ammonia) means this CSO is highly damaging, effectively turning the whole river into a sewer for over half a mile downstream. What will be the effect of letting Thames Water off fines for this illegal outfall? 🧵

Today your water bill is rising again, after a 26% hike last year on average. This is because the regulator is allowing extractive private companies to rinse the public. In Parliament I'm calling to end the failed experiment of water privatisation. Time for public ownership.

The Environment Agency saying they are taking action to reduce illegal sewage spills is one of the funniest April Fools jokes I’ve seen today. They could have gone one better & announced a new policy that they will actually enforce the law & prosecute every illegal sewage spill on all our rivers & seas. But maybe that’s too ridiculous, even for an April Fools.

Nigel Farage has kindly asked we stop sharing this video of him talking about why we should privatise the NHS 💙 You know what to do!

Yet more corruption exposed. In 2024 98%, yes 98% of all serious water company pollution incidents got downgrade by the Environment Agency to minor. Time to end the charade, to call an end to the farce. Time for public ownership.

Wildlife photographer Shawn Miller's Hermit Crab Conservation Project in Okinawa, Japan, where he rescues crabs from plastic trash "shells" and relocates them into natural ones. 👍

SHARE if you want a GLOBAL ban on #TrophyHunting NOW! 🚫

⚠️PLEASE PLEASE RETWEET THE HELL OUT OF THIS KITTEN ABUSER 🚨 BEN MURKIN, ELY ⚠️KNOW HIS FACE⚠️ A sadistic animal abuser has avoided prison after inflicting catastrophic injuries on a kitten after throwing it at a wall, a door and down the stairs. Ben Murkin, of Mill Lane, Fordham, Ely, appeared at Cambridge Crown Court on March 6 to be sentenced in a prosecution brought forward by the RSPCA. On March 6, 2024, a veterinary practice was contacted by a family member who said Murkin's cat Whisper had fallen and was struggling to breathe. By the time they arrived at the practice with Whisper, the kitten had already passed away after being in immense pain and suffering. Whisper's death was reported to the RSPCA after concerns about the injuries. An independent post mortem found that Whisper had suffered injuries including a bruised head, a left eye haemorrhage, reddening and bruising of the tail area, and multiple injuries to limbs, consistent with a strong human grip. Murkin claimed the injuries occurred when he was carrying out CPR. The post mortem also found evidence of current and old rib fractures and a fracture on the lumber vertebrae. He had also ignored advice from the bet to bring the cat back on two occasions. These included after bringing in the kitten for limping after a supposed fall in December 2023 and in February 2024 after treatment for a fractured tooth and red gums. Some of the specific acts of cruelty detailed in court included kicking Whisper against a wall, picking her up by the tail and throwing her down the stairs, and throwing Whisper against the door. The expert vet concluded in their report: “It is my expert opinion that clearly Whisper suffered as a result of the injuries she sustained however they were caused. She sustained multiple and severe injuries both to her lip and upper canine, to her ribs on the right hand side and then to her face, chest and abdomen in the final incident. “All of these will have caused her to suffer pain and distress. The final set of injuries the duration of the suffering will only have lasted as long as she remained conscious which is likely to have been a short period of time. “It is my expert opinion that the injuries sustained by Whisper were the result of deliberate and intentional trauma inflicted upon her by a person with the intention of her causing her serious harm and suffering.” The court heard he got Whisper with his girlfriend as emotional support as he was lonely. When the relationship ended, he started to resent the cat. The judge described Murkin's actions as an "extraordinary response". The judge noted this had been "astonishing cruelty to an animal" and said Murkin had committed other acts of physical violence on the cat. The offence was placed in the highest category because the injuries were "prolonged and repeated, inflicted with significant force, and resulted in death". Murkin had pleaded guilty to two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to Whisper by inflicting trauma causing injury and for failing to provide prompt veterinary treatment, in respect of the injury to the cat’s gums and fractured canine tooth. He was given a 22-month prison sentenced that has been suspended for 18 months. He has been ordered to carry out 240 hours of unpaid work and 20 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days. He has been banned for keeping all animals for life and was ordered to pay £500 court costs and £187 victim surcharge. RSPCA Inspector Emily Astillberry said: "The actions in this case were of astonishing cruelty to a defenceless animal. It is heart-breaking to hear what Whisper - this small ragdoll kitten - had to endure such cruel and sustained suffering. She was still so young when she died and had to endure such pain and suffering during this short life.”

The Government needs to realise more regulation won’t fix our broken water system. We need to kick financial predators out & take it back into public control. But don’t just take it from me. Listen to a sewage campaigner who inspired Channel 4’s ‘Dirty Business’. @WindrushWasp

So Thames Water is currently £20 billion in debt and turning that mess into a company that is £26.5 billion in debt we are being told, and are expected to believe, is rescuing it. It is nothing but brutalising customers even further and condemning them to even more decades of being fleeced by excessive interest payments. It's a shambles, govt needs to act. Now! ft.com/content/64a645…

Department of Justice, Washington DC

If you want Baroness Michelle Mone removed from the House of Lords and to repay the £136,000,000 owed to taxpayers, please RT!

One of the greatest lecture in the world.

Fujitsu has earned over £2.5 billion from Post Office contracts since the Horizon system was introduced in 1999. Water companies have paid their shareholders £85 billion since privatisation.

New blog: "Most revealing of all is the report’s own estimate that nature-loss could cost roughly 12% of UK GDP by 2030." I've written about the latest details emerging from the suppressed National Security Assessment. rupertread.net/blog/2026/the-…

"More than half a million tonnes of sewage sludge spread on Scotland's fields." Sewage sludge can contain, amongst other things, forever chemicals (PFAS), dioxins, and microplastics. That's why the Dutch burn it, not spread it on fields and allow all that stuff it back into the food chain. In Scotland however? theferret.scot/tonnes-sewage-…

He sat with an accordion and played one of Vivaldi’s hardest pieces alone, sounding like a full orchestra in his hands 🎶

“Research has found that one wildlife crossing can prevent about 1,400 accidents over accidents over a 70-year lifespan, which translates into billions of dollars in savings” pewtrsts.org/4k2RTQO via @pewtrusts

Just say no to Tony Blair. Just say no to digital ID

There has been no harsher critic to U.S. military action in Iran than Pope Leo XIV: “War is back in vogue and a zeal for war is spreading.  The principle established after the Second World War, which prohibited nations from using force to violate the borders of others, has been completely undermined. “Peace is no longer sought as a gift and a desirable good in itself, or in the pursuit of the establishment of the ordered universe willed by God, with a more perfect form of justice among men and women.” “Instead, peace is sought through weapons as a condition for asserting one’s own dominion. “This gravely threatens the rule of law, which is the foundation of all peaceful civil coexistence.”