Fines totalling £1.6 million imposed on Yorkshire Water for pollution incidents are being reinvested into 12 environmental projects across the region. The funding, distributed through the Water Restoration Fund, will support schemes tackling river pollution, habitat loss, and long-term ecological damage.
The penalties relate to incidents recorded between April 2022 and October 2023 and form part of a wider national effort to reinvest water company fines into environmental recovery. The projects in Yorkshire include work to prevent further contamination of Ashfoldside Beck and the River Nidd, the creation of a pollution reduction plan with tenant farmers on the Bolton Abbey Estate, and restoration work at the Derwent Site of Special Scientific Interest to reconnect historical river meanders.
In total, more than £10 million in fines from several water companies, including Thames Water, South West Water, Anglian Water, United Utilities, and Yorkshire Water, has been allocated to 51 initiatives across England. These aim to reduce water pollution, manage flood risk, and enhance biodiversity.
In Yorkshire, allocations include £76,570.85 for Dewsbury Country Park, £81,730 for the Ashfoldside Metal Mines Project, £249,445 for the Water in the Wharfe scheme, £130,060 for studies on the Foss and Esk rivers, £222,960 for Swaledale and Wensleydale Environmental Farmers, and £149,291 for work at Hornsea Mere. The funding was released by the Rural Payments Agency.
