Water companies who broke environmental rules are now funding the recovery of England’s waterways, as local communities and environmental groups are being put in the driving seat to clean up rivers, lakes and seas. The UK Government is reinvesting £29m from water company fines into local projects which clean up the environment – funding over 100 projects which will improve 450km of rivers, restore 650 acres of natural habitats and plant 100,000 new trees.

This includes doubling funding for catchment partnerships – community-led groups that work to improve waterways in their local area – giving them £1.7m per year over the next two years. This is part of the government’s commitment to give communities greater influence over water environment planning and decision-making.

The money will also support the Water and Abandoned Metal Mines Programme and Water Environment Improvement Fund, supporting projects to restore habitats, improve water quality and tackle pollution at source. The additional funding is expected to attract at least a further £11m from private sector investment.