Water company fines will be used to clean up rivers, lakes and seas, government confirms

18 June 2025, 22:30 | Updated: 18 June 2025, 23:45

Water company fines and penalties will be allocated to projects to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas, the government has confirmed to LBC.

It is a criminal offence for water companies to breach their environmental permits, for example, by releasing excessive pollution into a river.

The most serious cases, such as illegal sewage spills, will see fines issued to the company and criminal prosecutions for bosses.

The government has said the current volume of sewage being discharged into waters is "unacceptable".

It has now been confirmed that £100m in water company fines and penalties levied against companies since October 2023 will be reinvested into projects to clean up our waterways – as well as future fines and penalties.

These could include local projects and programmes to address pollution and improve water quality around the country.

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A record 81 criminal investigations have been launched into water companies as part of a new government operation spearheaded by Environment Secretary Steve Reed.

Through the Water (Special Measures) Act, unfair bonuses have been banned and bosses who cover up illegal sewage spills now face prison - with further measures set to come into force.

Mr Reed told LBC: "The Conservatives broke our water system, leading to record levels of sewage being dumped in our rivers.

"With this Labour government, the era of profiting from pollution is over."

He added: "OFWAT recently announced the biggest fine ever handed to a water company in history.

"This Labour government will invest the money collected from fines into local projects to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good."