A £275,000 environmental fund has been secured for Lincolnshire river restoration projects following sewage permit breaches and an unauthorised discharge linked to sites in Ingoldmells.

The Environment Agency has announced that Anglian Water will provide the funding as part of a legally-binding Enforcement Undertaking after an investigation into incidents at Ingoldmells Water Recycling Centre and Richmond Drive Terminal Pumping Station.

The offences related to sewage discharges in August 2020 and September 2022, including two breaches of permit conditions and an unauthorised discharge into Croft Bank Drain.

Investigators found a combination of factors contributed to the incidents, including underinvestment and inadequate monitoring and management of both the treatment process and sewer network.

Funding secured following sewage permit breaches linked to Ingoldmells will support restoration projects across the Witham catchment, including Lincolnshire's rare chalk streams.

placeholder image — Funding secured following sewage permit breaches linked to Ingoldmells will support restoration projects across the Witham catchment, including Lincolnshire's rare chalk streams.

The sewage was discharged into the North Sea via a long-sea outfall, although the Environment Agency said the actual environmental impact remains unknown.

As part of the agreement, Anglian Water Services will pay £275,000 to the East Mercia Rivers Trust, with the money earmarked for environmental improvement projects across the Witham catchment.

The funding will support restoration work on some of Lincolnshire's most important waterways, including rare chalk streams and limestone watercourses that provide vital habitats for wildlife.

Marcus Sibley, Water Regulation Manager for the Environment Agency, said: "It is unacceptable that water companies continue to pollute our watercourses and we will continue to prosecute the most serious offenders, but in some cases Enforcement Undertakings allow wrongdoings to be corrected and environmental harm to be compensated by the companies who cause it.

"The £275,000 offered to East Mercia Rivers Trust will be invested throughout the Witham catchment area delivering real benefits for local people and local wildlife, and improving our endangered chalk streams.

"Water companies will be held to account for poor performance, and we will continue to drive meaningful improvements, clean up the waterways and crackdown on persistent offenders."

The Environment Agency said Anglian Water has since taken action to improve operations at the sewage works, including installing a new settlement tank, increasing monitoring and bringing in specialist contractors to help maintain compliance.

The company will also reimburse the Environment Agency's investigation costs.

Rachel Butler, Chief Executive of East Mercia Rivers Trust, welcomed the funding but stressed that preventing pollution incidents must remain the priority.

She said: "East Mercia Rivers Trust is clear; we do not want to see pollution incidents happening in the first place. Prevention must always come first.

"Where enforcement does secure investment, it is critical that funding is used to deliver real, lasting environmental gain.

"This contribution will be directed into the Witham catchment, supporting work across a landscape that includes internationally rare chalk streams and often overlooked but equally degraded yet ecologically important limestone watercourses. The funding will help us accelerate targeted restoration and habitat improvement."

The announcement comes amid increased scrutiny of water companies across the country.

The Environment Agency says water companies paid a record £8.5 million towards environmental restoration projects nationwide during the past year, almost double the amount secured the previous year.

In March, the agency revealed it had carried out more than 10,000 inspections of water company assets over the previous 12 months, including more than 1,800 inspections at Anglian Water sites.