A coalition of water and nature-focused charities including The Wildlife Trusts, the Rivers Trust and Sustainability First have called on Steve Reed MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, to formalise and strengthen the Water Restoration Fund in the upcoming Water (Special Measures) Bill.

The Water Restoration Fund was introduced by the previous Conservative government to ensure that Water Company fines pay for remedial work on rivers and their catchments. The money was to be distributed by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA).

The funding application was heavily over-subscribed ahead of the June 2024 deadline. A decision was initially expected in July and then November, but as yet no outcome has been shared. After reaching out to the RPA directly, and with no reassurances on the fund, the charities are now increasingly concerned that the current Labour government may potentially be planning to discontinue the scheme.

The letter, sent today by Wildlife & Countryside Link and other environment organisations, urges the Environment Secretary to add an amendment to the government’s Water (Special Measures) Bill guaranteeing the future of the fund.

Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive of The Rivers Trust: “Environmental charities like us are too often paying out of our own pockets to clean up the mess left by polluters. The Water Restoration Fund is vital not just for generating further funding for environmental improvements, but because it is underpinned by the principle that polluters should be footing the bill. 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.”

Richard Benwell, CEO of Wildlife and Countryside Link, said: “We support the Government's commitment to clamp down hard on water company pollution. The penalties for failure should be as eye-watering for the companies as pollution revelations have been for the public. But polluter pays penalties aren't just about creating a deterrent. The Government must guarantee that polluters pay to fix the damage they've caused, rather than leave charities and the public to pick up the bill. We're calling for the Water Restoration Fund to be established in the Water (Special Measures) Bill to ensure that every penny of pollution fines is paid to improve our rivers and wildlife".

Joan Edwards, director of policy and public affairs at The Wildlife Trusts, says: “Not one of our rivers is in a good state of health for nature. They should be teeming with wildlife, but instead have suffered decades of pollution from water companies. Issuing fines for this damage is a good first step, but the money must directly benefit the locations, communities and wildlife blighted by water company failures. Take for example the fine paid by Severn Trent Water which Government has yet to add into the fund – this could be supporting the recovery of endangered species like white-clawed crayfish and Atlantic salmon on the River Trent. The Water Restoration Fund must be enshrined in law to ensure water companies are paying to clean up their mess.”

The letter being sent to the Secretary of State can be found here.