South West Water: Fines
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the financial penalty incurred by South West Water at Exeter Magistrates' Court on 2 June 2026 will be paid into the Water Restoration Fund.
Answered by Emma Hardy
Successful projects for the Water Restoration Fund (WRF) were announced in October 2025. These projects are now in delivery and there are no plans for further application rounds.
On 20 January 2026, government announced alongside the White Paper that £29 million in water company fines will support further local water improvement projects through catchment partnerships, the Water Environment Improvement Fund (WEIF) and Water and Abandoned Metal Mines (WAMM) Programme.
These funds were based on environmental fines and penalties collected from water and sewerage companies.
Government will confirm how any future income from environmental fines and penalties will be spent in due course, after the balance has been paid.
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