Channel 4’s new factual drama Dirty Business lays bare one of the most significant corporate and public health scandals in modern British history: the nation’s deepening sewage crisis. Through its unflinching three-part investigation, the series confronts viewers with the stark reality of polluted waterways, regulatory failures and the long-running battle for accountability. Few who watched could remain unmoved by the scale of the contamination and its human cost.
In 2023, I photographed the two central figures in this story, Ashley Smith and Peter Hammond. The pair were standing in their local river, the River Windrush, carefully turning over stones covered with algae - visible evidence of the sewage pollution they have spent 10 years fighting to expose.
Dirty Business premiered on Channel 4 on Monday, 23 February. Ashley Smith is portrayed by David Thewlis, with Peter Hammond played by Jason Watkins.
#DirtyBusiness
#Channel4
#SewageScandal
#EndSewagePollution
#WaterPollution
This is not video - This is what the power of a single photograph taken by a professional news photographer can do - taken by Phil Noble/Reuters @philnoblepix
Hundreds of pubs have banned Labour MPs from their premises in protest against the November 2025 Budget, which brought tax hikes and rising business rates for the hospitality sector.
One landlord has gone a step further. Chris Ghazarian, who runs The Green Dragon in Flaunden, Hertfordshire, is pouring a protest “beer” called Rachel Thieves in response to what he describes as Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s tax raids on pubs.
The drink itself is nothing more than water - a deliberate gimmick to highlight the Chancellor’s policies on taxing pubs. Even the pump clip carries a pointed message. Where the alcohol percentage would normally appear, it reads “% MAY GO UP AT ANY POINT” - a not-so-subtle hint that tax rates are only heading one way.
#Pubs
#SaveOurPubs
#PubsMatter
#SupportYourLocal
Assignment for @svenskadagbladet Part 2 of a 3 part story about Immigration and Integration in the UK.
Pictures show: An evening Morris Dancers practice session in Derby by the ‘Chip Off The Old ‘ Morris Ladies.
Morris dancing is en English tradition that can be dated back to the 15th Century.
#MorrisDancing
#MorrisDancers
My company treated me to a delightful Christmas present: a Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 S - and what a beauty! It is.
I thought a nice test for the lens would be the Christmas lights outside our office opposite Windsor Castle and tonight was the first night with a clear night since Christmas so out I went out and tested it - and I’m very pleased with the results.
Now comes the challenge: resisting the classic photographer’s temptation to use a new lens for everything over the next month, instead of saving it for when it’s genuinely the right lens for the job.
I can’t help but think back to the late ’90s, when the standard lens - before the 24-70mm f/2.8 took over - was the 16–35mm f/2.8. We press photographers shot around 80% of all our assignments with it. Looking back now, I cringe looking at images from that era… everything was so distorted!
#nikon
#nikon20mm
#nikon20mm18
#windsor
#windsorcastle
#windsorchristmas
#windsorchristmaslights
Have you ever thought about walking a Camino, or wondered what it’s really like to spend weeks on the trail?
Last year (July 2025) Marianne and I walked the Camino Francés (The French Way) - 779 kilometres (484 miles) from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port 🇫🇷 to Santiago de Compostela 🇪🇸
It took us 42 days, and it turned out to be an unforgettable journey.
We met incredible people along the way, and a strong sense of companionship grew among pilgrims sharing the same destination. The camaraderie on the Camino is something truly special.
I kept a photo journal with notes every day during the walk, and I have just published it on my new website, which showcases my editorial photography: markearthy.com (link in profile)
I hope the images and stories on the journal will inspire others to walk a Camino.
Buen Camino! and Happy New Year!
#caminophoto
#caminophotography
#caminodiary
#caminosantiago
#camino
#caminofrances
#caminodesantiago
#theway
#thefrenchway
#thewayofstjames
#pilgrim
#pilgrimage
The first part of a three part story about Immigration and Integration in the UK was published in Svenska Dagbladet today
Part 1: Britain’s darkest scandal
Part 2: The Union Flag a sign of cracks in the Union
Part 3: Where integration in Britiain is celebrated
We have just completed the Camino de Santiago!
779km | 484 miles from 🇫🇷 St. Jean Pied de Port to 🇪🇸 Santiago de Compostela - It took us 42 days.
It has been the most amazing journey & incredible experience.
A couple of pictures from the last walk this morning and arriving in Santiago de Compostela.
#camino
#caminofrances
#caminodesantiago
