UK government delays clean water and nature targets, breaching Environment Act

Therese Coffey says targets underpinning nature recovery will not be published this month

The government has delayed publication of clean water and biodiversity targets, putting it in breach of its Environment Act, ministers have admitted.

Therese Coffey, the environment secretary, published a written ministerial statement on Friday confirming that the targets underpinning the country's nature recovery would not be released on 31 October as promised.