Up to £11 million in water company fines is to be reinvested into schemes that improve waterways and wetlands under a fund launched by the Government.
It is the latest move by the Government to crack down on water company pollution in the face of growing public anger over the state of England’s rivers and coastal waters. The £11 million in fines and penalties collected for breaching environmental rules will be allocated for schemes in the water company areas in which they were accrued, the Environment Department said.
Environment Secretary Steve Barclay said: “I know how important our precious waterways are to local communities and to nature, which is why we’re taking tough action to ensure our regulators are well-equipped to hold those who pollute them to account. Marian Spain, chief executive of Government nature agency Natural England, welcomed the creation of the fund.
Other measures the Government has taken include plans to ban bonuses for water company executives where firms have committed serious criminal breaches, and boosting the Environment Agency’s capacity to carry out more inspections.