by John Prince
A share of millions of pounds of government money raised through fines levied against water companies for sewage leaks is being given to help Hornsea Mere.
The Water Restoration Fund is administered by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
It is spending the money on 51 clean-up projects across England. Twelve of those projects are in Yorkshire, and the Mere is one of those that will benefit.
The Hornsea Mere Restoration project is to receive £149,291.
It will go towards the regeneration of the natural habitat around the floodplains, as well as help with assessing water quality and other improvement plans.
Yorkshire Water was fined £1.6 million for environmental offences that happened between April 2022 and October 2023. That included illegally pumping sewage into waterways.
Four other water companies across the country were also forced to pay millions in penalties. That money is now being reinvested and used for environmental restoration.
In a statement this week, Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds said: “I share people’s anger at the damage caused by sewage pollution and want communities to once again feel they can take pride in their environment.
“This money from water company fines will be directed back into local projects to tackle pollution and support long-term plans for nature restoration.
“Under our Plan for Change we’re resetting the water industry, holding water companies to account, and reinvesting in areas harmed by their rule breaking.”
George Bennett, 88, from the Wassand Estate, which owns the Mere, said: “The issue of poor water quality goes back many years. The Mere is really a sump, and everything goes into it.
“The money can be used to protect the Mere in the future. There needs to be a long-term action plan to see how the water quality can be improved.
“Anything that raises the quality of the Mere and protects the wildlife is a good thing.”