Not a single penny from sewage fines goes to clean up rivers

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1. Plans to clean up rivers across England have been put on hold due to delays in funding from millions of pounds of sewage fines.

   Labour is being pressured to commit to the future of an £11m fund launched by the last government, that would see fines levied against water firms used to improve England’s rivers, lakes and streams.

   Charities, including the Rivers Trust and the Wildlife Trusts, say they are increasingly concerned Labour is going to discontinue the scheme and said such a move would put the Government’s manifesto commitments on rivers in doubt.

   Last April, the Tories launched the Water Restoration Fund to provide grants to conservation groups, councils and farmers to protect and improve waterways.

   The grants were to funded by Environment Agency fines against water companies responsible for serious sewage spills and other forms of pollution.

   It is understood the previous government received a high number of applications for the fund. The first round of projects were initially due to commence in July last year, but this was delayed due to the general election.

   More than six months later applicants to the fund are still waiting to hear whether they will receive any money.

   Charities say they have sought clarity on whether the funding will still go ahead, but have received no assurances.

   Some of the projects that are waiting for the green light include a scheme by West Cumbria Rivers Trust to restore rivers and becks within the Lake District National Park.

   Plans to “re-naturalise” a series of rivers would reduce the flood risk for local communities, restore biodiversity and capture carbon, the trust said.

   Calder Rivers Trust have applied for funding to establish a Yorkshire-wide agricultural advice network to help reduce the impact of pollution from farms on local waterways.

   “Environmental charities like us are too often paying out of our own pockets to clean up the mess left by polluters,” said Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive of The Rivers Trust.

   “We are already fighting an uphill battle to restore our waterways to good health, and to abandon this fund would put this ambition in serious doubt.”

   Today, 11 conservation groups, including the Rivers Trust and Wildlife Trusts, are writing to the Secretary of State, Steve Reed, asking him to enshrine the Water Restoration Fund in law.

   They say the Water (Special Measures) Bill, which was introduced by Labour when it first came into power, should include an amendment that ensures fines paid by water companies automatically go towards improving nature.

   Fines levied against water companies have traditionally been returned to The Treasury until the Conservatives introduced the Water Restoration Fund last year.

2. Aren’t the fines meant to act as a deterrent to stop the soiling of rivers?

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