Untreated sewage has been dumped into the ocean surrounding the Isles of Scilly in water that is home to some of the rarest and most diverse nature in Britain.
Puffins, seals and humpback whales are among the wildlife that can be spotted on the islands, almost 30 miles off the southwestern tip of mainland Cornwall, which attract around 125,000 visitors from mainland Britain each year.
The archipelago has historically not been protected by the same environmental rules as the rest of the UK, meaning authorities have been pumping sewage directly into the sea without treatment.
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Why organic free-range eggs are ‘worst for the environment’
Organic eggs are twice as bad for the climate as eggs produced by caged chickens, a new study indicates.
Caption: Asian woman holding a shopping basket, Grocery shopping in supermarket. Woman choosing fresh organic egg. Fruits and vegetables shopping. Healthy eating lifestyle. Pesticide Safe food and vegetable selection for life.
Photographer: nomadnes
Provider: Getty Images
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Organic or caged chicken egg model?
Tonnes of CO2 predicted
2.36m
Greenhouse emissions expected if all the UK’s egg production is switched to organic.
Free range eggs are laid by hens that are fed organic feed,
1.184m
The equivalent in tonnes of CO2 if all egg production was from caged chickens.
More organic chickens are required to produce the same number of free-range eggs.
Facts and figures
Organic egg production needs significantly more land.
Deaths in free range chickens were higher, the study published in Royal Society Open Science found.
The study used data from 2009-2010 from UK poultry farms, The Guardian reports.
Egg consumption across the world is growing.
LIFESTYLE
4 min read
Go deeper on this subject
To some people, an egg is an egg, but the variety in appearance, size and the colours of shells and yolks varies a great deal.
LIFESTYLE
6 min read
LIFESTYLE
4 min read
Ariana Grande sues hackers who ‘leaked music online’
Ariana Grande is suing hackers who she alleges stole her unreleased music as well as private photos and video.
Caption: US singer actress Ariana Grande attends the 31st Annual Critics Choice Awards at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, on January 4, 2026. (Photo by Chris DELMAS / AFP via Getty Images)
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Hacked off: what we know
The singer alleges two unidentified hackers stole material from her collaborators’ computers, court papers filed in LA show.
Caption: LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 09: Singer Ariana Grande performs at the IPOP! Concert Series an Evening with Make-A-Wish Foundation and Starlight Children’s Foundation at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza on January 9, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Angela Weiss/Getty Images)
Photographer: Angela Weiss
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Caption: BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 11: (FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Ariana Grande attends the 83rd Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton on January 11, 2026 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images)
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It led to 45 songs being leaked in 2023 alone, Grande claims. Since her music debut in 2011, hundreds of similar leaks have taken place, the court documents say.
Lawsuit allegations
The lawsuit aims to reveal the hackers’ identities.
Grande alleges one hacker impersonated a photographer to gain access to material.
Studio footage and music videos were also allegedly stolen.
It’s claimed the material was sold on the dark web.
MUSIC
4 min read
What has she said previously?
In 2024, the pop star and actress. after her song Fantsize was leaked, said: “Before I left for Wicked – [there were] a few studio sessions that I did which are all over TikTok, thank you so much, I’ll see you in jail.
“Those were all written for a TV show.”
FILM
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MUSIC
4 min read
CULTure
Netflix neck-and-neck with BBC when British viewers switch on TV
Caption: (FILES) In this file photo illustration a computer screen and mobile phone display the Netflix logo on March 31, 2020 in Arlington, Virginia. – Bridgerton has become Netflix’s most popular new series, with more than 82 million households tuning in to watch the period drama, the streaming service has announced. (Photo by Olivier DOULIERY / AFP) (Photo by OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images)
Photographer: OLIVIER DOULIERY
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Source: AFP
TV viewers are now as likely to watch Netflix as the BBC, a survey for Ofcom suggests.
Netflix is the first choice for 26 per cent of viewers compared to 25 per cent who favour the BBC.
What the study tells us
Caption: FILE PHOTO: The YouTube logo is seen at the YouTube Space LA in Playa Del Rey, Los Angeles, California, United States October 21, 2015. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo
Photographer: Lucy Nicholson
Provider: REUTERS
Source: X90050
YouTube viewing surges
The amount of time people watch YouTube on TV sets has doubled since 2022 to an average 19 minutes a day.
Netflix standouts
Netflix hits Adolescence and K-Pop Demon Hunters were two of the top 10 most streamed shows in 2025.
Caption: Adolescence. Owen Cooper as Jamie Miller in Adolescence. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix ?? 2024
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Netflix
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(Photo: Simon Ackerman/Getty Images)
Beeb’s biggest draws
The BBC showed the other eight, including The Night Manager and Run Away.
24 million watch England on BBC
Celebrity Traitors and its video podcast Traitors Uncloaked was the BBC’s biggest title last year, with the finale attracting an average audience of 14.9 million viewers across BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
England’s World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina attracted a peak audience of 24 million viewers across BBC platforms.
LIVE
1 min read
Big Read
3 min read
Battle of the broadcasters
Last year, 70 per cent of people in the UK watched content from traditional broadcasters – including live TV, recorded playback and on-demand services – for at least 15 minutes in an average week, down from 73 per cent in 2024 and 78 per cent in 2022.
Netflix and Disney subscribers could be asked to contribute to the BBC licence fee (Photo: Getty)
The BBC will start showing EastEnders again (Photo: BBC)
Two beaver kits born in Highlands after repopulation effort
At least two baby beavers have been born near Loch Ness in Scotland for the first time in more than 400 years.
Caption: EMBARGOED TO 0001 WEDNESDAY JULY 29
Handout photo dated 24/10/25 provided by Trees for Life of a beaver being released at Glen Affric in the Scottish Highlands. At least two baby beavers have been born in an area of the Highlands, marking the first time in four centuries where such births have been recorded in the region. Issue date: Tuesday July 28, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Paul Campbell/Trees for Life/PA Wire
Photographer: Paul Campbell
Provider: Paul Campbell/Trees for Life/PA Wire
Source: PA
Kits born to families released to wild
Two baby beavers, estimated to have been born in May or June, were recently spotted in Glen Affric. This follows the release of seven beavers in October last year and a further four in February.
Caption: Close up of two Eurasian beavers / European beavers (Castor fiber) fighting in pond. (Photo by: Arterra/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Photographer: Arterra
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Source: Universal Images Group Editorial
Copyright: ? Arterra / Sven-Erik Arndt
Caption: EMBARGOED TO 0001 FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 12
File photo dated 05/03/25 of a beaver swimming following a licensed release at Purbeck Heaths National Nature Reserve. Communities are being invited to discuss the potential return of beavers to the Loch Ness area. The discussion is being run by Trees for Life in partnership with Beaver Trust during September and October. Issue date: Friday September 12, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire
Photographer: Andrew Matthews
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Source: PA
They are reportedly in good health and their birth signifies a success for the reintroduction project in the area. Beavers were first reintroduced in 2009 after being hunted to extinction in the 16th century.
A ‘wonderful milestone’
These young animals represent the first generation of beavers that will help shape Glen Affric’s future – creating wetlands that support countless other species, improve water quality and build resilience to climate change.
Tobias Leask, beaver management officer, Trees for Life
‘Sightings’ of the so-called monster began in Loch Ness in 1933 (Photo: Sean Gladwell/Getty)
world
Meet the UK university students preparing for war
While many UK university students are more used to dancing late into the night, some are getting up before dawn to train part-time with the British Army.
The goal for the military is to have a ready group of potential UK officers in case war breaks out.
Eager recruits
The University Officer Training Corps scheme, run at over 50 institutes, sees undergraduates undertake 38 annual days of Army training alongside their degree.
In return, they receive a nominal £1,600 a year, new skills and a potential career path – around 40 per cent of 1,400 recruits join the regular or reserve force afterwards.
NEWS
4 min read
Battle-ready
Officer cadets spend around one afternoon a week with the military, as well as five weekends and a two-week exercise each year. They learn everything from firing rifles to battlefield first aid and planning operations to surviving in the wild.
The exercise this year, in partnership with Dutch university officers, focused on clearing urban areas, navigating trenches and battlefield first aid.
Staying on
Esme Beckly, 21, an English literature student, said the course “made me realise that it is something that I want to do in the future”. She will join the Army as an officer when she graduates.
Monty Walker, 20, who grew up in a military family in Reading before studying accounting at York University, is weighing up his options. He said: “I finish this exercise on Sunday, and then on Monday I’m in London starting an internship. It’s a switch into a different life.”
Watch more from The i Paper
Would you spend your summer holidays on a military training exercise? Six years before the First World War, the British military launched a scheme to train university students as army officers. Dozens of universities are still involved with the University Officer Training Corps (UOTC) , which has 15 units across 27 training locations. The i Paper’s global affairs correspondent, Molly Blackall, joined one cohort for a recent training exercise in The Netherlands. #britisharmy #cadets #putten
♬ original sound – The i Paper – The i Paper
news
Why sitting under a tree during a heatwave may not be as safe as you think
Caption: A person sits in the shade in Castle Park, Bristol. The heatwave across the UK looks set to continue as 2026 became the first year to record temperatures of 35C on six separate days, and emergency services warn of “extreme” wildfire risks over the weekend. Picture date: Saturday July 11, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Ben Birchall/PA Wire
Photographer: Ben Birchall
Provider: Ben Birchall/PA Wire
Copyright: PA Wire
Visitors to parks during the current heatwave are reportedly being warned against sitting under trees, as branches could break as a result of the extreme temperatures.
Here is everything you need to know about the risk.
‘Don’t take shelter under old trees’
Normanby Hall Country Park in North Lincolnshire has warned visitors of the dangers of breakage during the heatwave, after several of their oldest trees lost large branches.
Branch falls have been reported across the UK, with MP for Putney Fleur Anderson saying a mature tree fell on her house in June’s heatwave.
Caption: A hot day to start the week in Cambridge where tempreatures reached 31 degrees and it looks set to remain hot for the reast of the week . July 6, 2026. Photo released 06/07/2026
Photographer: James Linsell Clark / SWNS
Provider: James Linsell Clark / SWNS
Source: James Linsell Clark / SWNS
NEWS
3 min read
Why is this happening?
Due to a lack of water, the trees are basically going into survival mode. [They are] trying to protect the main trunk and [their] system. Any branches that are untoward or have cracks in them, they’re just shedding them.”
Liam Dent, parks and gardens officer at Normanby hall
The nearby district of Rossendale offers a whole host of walks and stunning views
Photographer: Fiftythreenorth
Provider: Getty Images/iStockphoto
What about elsewhere?
Workers at London’s Hyde Park have been told to avoid placing deckchairs under trees, The Times reports.
Royal Parks said it was taking “active measures” to reduce the risk.
“We are fully aware of ‘summer branch drop’, when trees can shed branches due to stress from prolonged dry, hot weather,” a spokesperson said.
Exclusive
3 min read
South West Water (SWW), which took over responsibility for the islands in 2020, had plans for “improvement” that would have seen it applying minimal treatment to waste being discharged into a Marine Protection Zone.
Islanders were in uproar at the suggestion, forcing SWW to revisit its plans, but locals remain concerned their oceans are being treated as a “big blue bin”.
Waste dumped continuously off the Isles of Scilly
Despite being under the full jurisdiction of the UK Government, the Isles of Scilly have until recently been exempt from national water and sewerage regulations.
Alongside the City of London, the islands are one of only two sui generis authorities in the UK, which hold a special legal status that means they usually have to be specifically mentioned in legislation in order for it to apply.
The Duchy of Cornwall owns about 75 per cent of the land and around a third of the homes on the Isles of Scilly.
The sewerage infrastructure on the islands is basic and much of it is in disrepair, meaning some of the waste generated on the island is dumped directly into the sea without treatment.
The system was operated by the Council of the Isles of Scilly until 2020 when South West Water (SWW) took over responsibility.
At this point the UK Government also passed legislation to apply English water regulations to the island and SWW was given five years to bring infrastructure up to standard, however this deadline was recently extended until 2027.
A shark swimming in the sea surrounding Scilly – the islands’ treatment is different to mainland Britain, which uses microorganisms in water treatment that remove a range of pollutants (Photo: Brendon White)
SWW’s original proposal for the island involved building a longer pipe that would discharge waste that had been ‘screened’ for solids.
This is different to the process required on mainland Britain that sees sewage treated with microorganisms that remove a range of pollutants, meaning the remaining wastewater is much less damaging for the environment.
SWW has been forced to backtrack on these proposals following an outcry from the islanders and a warning from the Environment Agency that the firm must comply with UK regulations.
The company has now said it will treat wastewater on the Isle of Scilly, but said “further work” is needed to understand how the new system will overcome challenges, including how to dispose of the ‘sludge’ created as a byproduct of the treatment process.
It could be catastrophic
There is still uncertainty around what the final solution will look like for the Isles of Scilly and islanders are concerned about the impacts on tourism and the natural environment.
The entire group of islands has been designated a Special Area of Conservation and is surrounded by 11 different Marine Conservation Zones.
Many visitors to the archipelago come to participate in activities such as snorkelling, wildlife boat tours and sea cave exploring.
The Isles of Scilly are home to a thriving population of Atlantic grey seals (Photo: Brendon White)
“Tourism is the main thing that keeps us all going,” said Lewis Johnson, who runs Seal Snorkelling Adventures on the island.
“A lot of people come here for the stunning looks of the island and I think the last thing they’ll want to see is toilet paper and things being flushed into the sea around the back of islands.”
Matt George, who runs Kernow Coasteering, one of the closest businesses to the proposed discharge site, said the impact on him could be “potentially catastrophic”.
George organises coasteering trips from mainland Cornwall so doesn’t have the flexibility to change plans if the conditions are bad.
He said it “beggars belief” that SWW were “proposing installing something that is not even up to the standards of the current treatment”.
Nikki Banfield, who founded the Scilly Coastal Clean-Up Group, said the surrounding area is home to a range of “nationally and internationally important” wildlife, including atlantic grey seals, dolphins and rare migratory birds.
Around 100 puffins nest on the Isles of Scilly each year (Photo: Brendon White)
Humpback whales can also be spotted from the islands, particularly during the winter months.
“Obviously discharging raw sewage into the sea will have its issues,” Banfield said. “It’s mind-blowing that in 2026 it’s still considered okay by an organisation to put more sewage in the ocean and thinking that it’s going to go away. It’s in the big blue bin.”
A spokesperson for South West Water said: “We are listening to our customers on the Isles of Scilly as we develop plans to improve the resilience of the islands’ wastewater network, protect water quality, and support the future needs of the community.
“When we took on the wastewater network in 2020, it did not meet current regulatory requirements or modern standards. Since then, we have been developing plans for significant investment across the islands, but there are no straightforward solutions to this essential work.”