UK Nature and Environment

Red Squirrels Northern England (RSNE) has published the results of its annual red and grey squirrel survey, which once again confirms that red squirrels can still be found across Cumbria, Northumberland, north Yorkshire, Lancashire and Merseyside.

The monitoring programme is the only scientific evidence base that helps measure whether the collective red squirrel conservation effort is making a difference in the north of England.

Each year the programme aims to survey around 250 sites, this year (2024) 180 people got involved and, without their help, completion of the survey would simply not be possible.

Sniffer dogs are usually found looking for contraband at airports and train stations, but the UK government is now dispatching trained hounds to find forest-harming pests.

A dog has been used for the first time in the UK to successfully identify tree disease. Researchers from Forest Research used a trained spanador – a cocker spaniel labrador cross – to find the tree pathogen Phytophthora ramorum.

Six-year-old Ivor the dog achieved a 89% successful first-time detection rate of the pest. This is an important finding as the disease is a menace to UK forests; spread by rain, the fungal-like organism causes the death of a wide range of trees and shrubs and has led to thousands of hectares of felling around the UK.

A blue mussel may not be the first thing that springs to mind when it comes to Northern Ireland's water quality heroes.

But for scientist Matt Service at the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI), they are "little ecosystem water treatment plants on their own".

In Belfast Lough where the mussels are cultivated, regular sewage spills are threatening the environment, the economy and public health, according to a report by NI Water.

Officials say the lough is facing a crisis if investment in sewage infrastructure is not increased.

National animal welfare charity the League Against Cruel Sports has welcomed the ban on snares which comes into force in Scotland on Monday 25 November. It called on the UK government to deliver on its manifesto commitment and ban these barbaric traps in England as well.

The League has campaigned successfully with partners in recent years to get snares banned in both Scotland and Wales, leaving England and Northern Ireland as the only countries in the UK where they remain legal.

Calls to make it easier to control Edinburgh’s “menacing” seagull population have been rejected after the RSPB raised concerns over “serious recent declines” in some gull species.

Conservative city councillor Max Mitchell argued there should be “more flexibility” to allow removal of nest and eggs where the birds are disturbing residents.

“Lord Provost, seagulls are a menace,” he said while tabling a motion calling for changes to the current system. “They foul over the property which is not only unpleasant but a health hazard.

Thousands of people will march on London on Sunday at a family-friendly rally to highlight the importance of clean water in their lives. The BBC speaks to residents near one rural waterway, which scientists found had the second highest levels of active pharmaceutical pollution in the UK.

"You'd think as a country we would be able to look after our most pristine landscapes", says cold water swimmer Jo Broughton.

Jo Broughton has not dipped even a toe in Tideswell Brook, in the heart of the Peak District National Park, since August.

One of the reasons lies in the findings of a study that discovered the brook had the second highest levels of active pharmaceutical pollution in the UK - drugs such as antidepressants and antibiotics were detected in the water.