Vue lecture

UK must stockpile food in readiness for climate shocks or war, expert warns

Par : Helena Horton Environment reporter

7 mars 2026 à 07:00

Prof Tim Lang says country produces far less food than it needs to feed population and is particularly vulnerable

The British government should be stockpiling food, according to a leading expert on food policy, as it is not prepared for climate shocks or wars that could cause the population to starve.

Prof Tim Lang of City St George’s, University of London said the UK produced far less food than it needed to feed itself, and as a small island that relied on a few large companies to feed its giant population, it was particularly vulnerable to shocks.

Water firms sent bailiffs to tens of thousands of homes for debts under £1,000

The Guardian

Par : Helena Horton Environment reporter

6 mars 2026 à 07:00

Most recorded visits are for smaller debts, data from England and Wales suggests, though method of recovery is a postcode lottery

Tens of thousands of people a year have bailiffs sent to their homes by water companies in England and Wales, data shows.

Many thousands of these visits by debt collectors were for sums worth under £1,000, according to the data released by the House of Commons environment, food and rural affairs (Efra) committee. Bailiffs are debt collectors instructed by a court, who can seize items from those in debt, including electrical items, jewellery or vehicles.