The Know Daily - Thursday 18 May 2023

_{Read in 5m 15s ∙ Listening to Joy Crookes}

Brighten up your Thursday by taking a look at the winning images from this year’s Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year competition. All the photos are incredible, but we particularly loved Hanging Up Persimmons by Zhonghua Yang, which won in the very aptly named Moments of Joy category.

🚰 Water companies pledge to clean up their acts

England’s water companies have issued an unprecedented apology for failing to tackle sewage spills and promised to invest £10 billion over the next decade.

What’s the story?
Public anger has been mounting over the continued spillage of raw sewage, with data from the Environment Agency showing that there were, on average, 824 spills a day into England’s waterways last year.

Now, Water UK - the industry body which represents England’s nine water and sewage companies - has said it is “sorry” for not acting sooner. The companies have also promised an additional £10bn to clean up their act, in what Water UK said would be “the biggest modernisation of sewers since the Victorian era”.

Where will the money come from?
Water UK said that the initial funding would be raised from investors before being paid back by customers in small increments each year. The industry body said that this would have a “modest” impact on bills.

The move has sparked anger among some campaign groups, who argue that the public should not have to shoulder any additional costs. “The UK public has already paid for environmental protection from sewage - but we’re yet to see it,” said a spokesperson from the marine conservation charity Surfers Against Sewage.

The water regulator Ofwat will first have to review the £10bn committed to determine what impact it could have on consumers’ bills.

So how bad are England’s waterways?
While companies are sometimes allowed to spill sewage following heavy rainfall to prevent the system from becoming overloaded, campaigners have accused firms of discharging much more often than they should - including when there has been no rain.

And last year, the Environmental Audit Committee warned of a “chemical cocktail” of sewage and microplastics polluting England’s waterways, putting nature and health at risk.

Water UK has said that further details about the latest plans will be published this summer.

 🔍 Attention on ADHD  

The lack of adequate provision for ADHD services is in the spotlight once again, following a controversial BBC Panorama investigation.

Tell me more.
In Private ADHD Clinics Exposed, undercover reporter Rory Carson was given a diagnosis of ADHD by three private clinics, even though a more rigorous in-person NHS assessment had found that he did not have it.

At one clinic, he was prescribed a stimulant commonly used to treat ADHD. He states in the film: “There is no doubt that many patients who go private will have ADHD. But it’s also clear that some clinics are putting people on powerful restricted drugs without proper checks.”

Why is the documentary controversial?
Many viewers have tweeted criticism of the film for focusing on the issue of whether private clinics are over-diagnosing, rather than looking at the limited availability of ADHD services and long waiting lists on the NHS.

Data released yesterday revealed that some patients are waiting as long as four years to be seen by an NHS specialist, with others paying close to £1,000 to seek a diagnosis privately.

What else is going on?
Some people have expressed concern that the documentary could give ammunition to those who still question the validity and existence of ADHD.

In a piece for Stylist about the particular difficulty of getting an ADHD diagnosis as a woman, journalist Charlotte Colombo described the BBC documentary as “nothing short of devastating”. “It seems like every day I see a new, creative way for my ADHD to be dismissed,” she added.

Henry Shelford, CEO of ADHD UK, expressed similar concern. “ADHD is much harder to live with than many realise… Getting a diagnosis and the understanding and support that comes with it is crucial to helping people thrive,” he said.

How has the BBC responded?
A spokesperson encouraged people to watch the documentary and said that the corporation took “great care” to ensure that it did not stigmatise people with ADHD.

📘 Sats row: Teachers and parents have raised concerns about a Year 6 Sats reading paper which was “so tough it left children in tears”. BBC News obtained a copy of three of the most difficult questions - see how you fare.

🌡️ Global warming: Scientists have warned that temperatures are more likely than not to rise by more than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels within the next five years, which could lead to dire consequences.

🇯🇵 PM’s Japan trip: Rishi Sunak arrived in Japan this morning - he’s set to announce a new defence pact called the Hiroshima accord ahead of the G7 summit which is made up of seven of the world’s richest countries.

❌ State TikTok ban: The Republican governor of Montana has signed into law a first-of-its-kind ban on TikTok, promising “to protect Montanans’ personal and private data from the Chinese Communist Party”.

🇺🇸 Sussexes’ car chase: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, were involved in a “near catastrophic car chase” as they were being followed by paparazzi, according to a spokesperson for the couple.

 Trivia answer: B) Skydiving - Shirley Robinson, who was diagnosed with chronic leukaemia last year, jumped out of a plane to raise money for homelessness charity Shelter.

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