Did Simon Jupp apologise for this in Thursday’s “Question Time” in Newton Poppleford? – Owl

A key fund at the heart of the government’s plans to clean up rivers has not been established 15 months after it was promised.

The water restoration fund was first pledged by Thérèse Coffey when she was environment secretary. She said it would redirect millions of pounds of raised from fines headed to the Treasury to pay to improve polluted waterways instead.

Thérèse Coffey when she first announced the restoration fund – Marigolds added for H&S reasons by Owl

Adam Vaughan www.thetimes.co.uk

However, the fund does not exist, there is no timetable for its establishment and The Times can reveal that steering groups to establish it have not yet even met.

Ministers have repeatedly cited the fund as evidence that they are taking water pollution seriously. Coffey said it would that ensure money was “channelled directly back into the rivers, lakes and streams where it is needed”.

Her successor as environment secretary, Steve Barclay, recently said: “The money raised from penalties imposed on water companies will go towards restoring and protecting our waters.”

The government has introduced unlimited fines for water polluters, up from a previous cap of £250,000. The expectation is that penalties will be in the tens of millions of pounds.

Although those sanction powers were established in December, however, there is no sign of the fund to channel the millions of pounds into cleaning rivers plagued by sewage and agricultural waste.

That has raised questions over what will happen to any money raised from penalties before the fund is up and running. It is unclear whether in the interim money will go to the Treasury as before, or be kept in some form of holding fund.

Philip Dunne, the Conservative MP and chairman of the environmental audit committee, said the fund was “crucial” to the “restoration of river health”. He said the committee was looking for confirmation of the launch of the fund and details of the projects it would support.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has officially given no indication of when the fund will be launched, but the Times understands the plan is that it be some time in the next financial year.

“We’ve been involved in discussions and invited to join steering groups to ensure they head in the right direction, but those groups have not yet met,” said one river conservationist.

The idea is that any actual restoration or improvements will be carried out by local charities and green groups, and paid for with money disbursed by the fund.

Ali Morse, water policy manager for the Wildlife Trusts, a network of local charities, said: “Setting up this fund means that fines will no longer get absorbed into government coffers, and are instead allocated, in a formal and transparent manner, to projects that will improve the water environment. It’s a huge opportunity for nature.”

She said it was imperative the fund was established as soon as possible, given the severe difficulties facing UK waters. “The fund isn’t about ‘making up’ for the damage caused by polluters — companies must do that — it’s about making further improvements to the environment,” she said.

Tessa Wardley, director of advocacy at the Rivers Trust, said: “There has been much discussion but not a huge amount of action — yet. They have promised additional funding for catchment based approach, new approach to catchment planning and a water restoration fund. None of these have been set up yet.”

A Defra spokesman said: “We are putting into the fund all the fines levied against water companies for polluting the environment since the Plan for Water launched last year. Further details will be set in due course.”

The Times is demanding faster action to improve the country’s waterways. Find out more about the Clean It Up campaign