Water company fines totalling up to £11 million are to be reinvested into schemes that improve waterways and wetlands under a fund launched by the government.
The move is the latest 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.Water companies have been hit with substantial fines over illegal pollution, while recent figures have showed sewage was spilled into rivers and the sea for 3.6 million hours in 2023 through permitted overflow drains.
The fines are in addition to any reparations to restore the natural environment that water companies make when they are found to have broken the rules. "Through the Water Restoration Fund, I will be making sure that money from fines and penalties – taken from water company profits only - is channelled directly back into our waterways.
Applicants have eight weeks to apply for the grant funding and awards are expected to be issued from late July.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.
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