The Government has announced that money from the fines handed out to polluting water companies will be re-invested in schemes that benefit our natural environment. WildFish welcome this news but reiterate that the fines put in place will need to be targeted on righting the wrongs.
WildFish have three asks for the re-investment of this money:
Invest in resources
In the first instance, the money should be ploughed into giving the regulators the resources they need to hold the polluters to account.
Incentivise a reaction
The practice of polluters treating fines as a cost of doing business has to stop. The fines need to incentivise a reaction.
Fix the problem
The money needs to be channeled into fixing the problems. Too often the money and resources do not address or rectify the underlying pollution problem.
We welcome pollution fines being directed to the environment rather than swallowed by the Treasury but, for this to have any meaning, the Environment Agency and Ofwat need to be properly resourced to enforce the existing regulation – which we suspect is routinely broken by water companies.
WildFish believe that this announcement may be a welcome sign that, under the new Chair, Alan Lovell, the EA is focussing on its role as an environmental regulator first and foremost.
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