The Angling Trust has described the UK government’s newly proposed Water Restoration Fund as inadequate and tokenistic. Under the government’s proposals, up to £11 million of environmental fines will be used to restore and enhance the water environment. The Angling Trust is campaigning that all the money raised from record environmental fines be used to fix the damage caused, rather than being treated as a windfall tax.
What is the Water Restoration Fund
The UK Government published guidance on the Water Restoration Fund on Tuesday, 9th April. The announcement revealed that up to £11 million of the money collected for environmental fines and penalties will be available to fund local projects to restore the water environment. The fund is available in the geographical areas where the fines and penalties were issued.
The Angling Trust’s Response
The Angling Trust acknowledges that whilst the government’s announcement is a step forward, the amount proposed isn’t enough. £70 million was levied in fines against water companies in 2023, and £141 million was secured by the Environment Agency in prosecutions since 2015. The £11 million proposal “is at best tokenistic” and “pitifully inadequate,” and amounts to less than the record fines issued to Southern Water in 2021 (£90 million) and Thames Water in 2017 (£20 million).
Martin Salter, the Angling Trust’s Head of Policy” said:
The polluter pays principle is not a pick and mix concept. Of course, polluters should be fined and made to put right the damage they have caused wherever possible. But this half-hearted approach, allocating just a fraction of the money collected by Treasury in fines, is at best tokenistic, and the amount to be returned to fund environmental improvements is pitifully inadequate.
CEO of the Angling Trust, Jamie Cook added:
While this announcement represents progress, the amount allocated barely begins to address the extensive damage wrought by water companies. Anglers, who witness first-hand the devastating effects of illegal sewage pollution on our waterways, have long-awaited measures that not only deter harmful practices but also facilitate the restoration of our rivers and still waters. Ideally, such a fund would be unnecessary if the water companies did their jobs properly and stopped polluting our rivers with their sewage.
Stuart Singleton-White, the Head of Campaigns at the the Angling Trust has this to say:
The £11 million fund, falls far short of the comprehensive financial commitment required to truly rehabilitate our freshwater environments. The government’s adoption of our proposal marks a positive step, but enforcement against water companies must increase, leading to more substantial fines. This funding should be directed primarily to support fisheries and communities, which have borne the brunt of the sewage pollution’s impact.