Anglian Water is to spend £300million cleaning up rivers and streams across the region in a bid to make them more attractive for wildlife.

The company has been given the green light by Defra to begin work on more than 200 environmental schemes, a year earlier than planned. Much of the work will support the region’s unique chalk stream habitats and will come at no extra cost to customers.

The projects are part of Anglian’s Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP). Totalling £800m between 2020 and 2025, the company’s investment in protecting and enhancing the region’s environment is more than double that of the previous five years.

The water company will undertake a raft of schemes aimed at reducing the amount of phosphorus that enters the environment through the water recycling process.

Chemicals like phosphorus come from domestic products like detergents, as well as from human and animal waste. They are particularly hard to remove from wastewater without using extensive, carbon-hungry treatment processes.


East Anglian Daily Times: Anglian Water is to improve its water courses.Anglian Water is to improve its water courses. (Image: Anglian Water)

Other projects will focus on river restoration schemes across the region, including tributaries of the chalk rivers Lark and Little Ouse in west Suffolk. Typically, restoration projects reinstate natural river features such as meanders, and gravel beds to encourage native species and increase biodiversity.

Peter Simpson, CEO for Anglian Water, said: "This is fantastic news for our region’s environment. By taking this decision a year early Government has given us more time to maximise the environmental benefit in some of the most sensitive parts of our region.

“Balancing the demands of our customers with the needs of the environment is something we take incredibly seriously. As we begin to plan our recovery from COVID 19, our responsibility to bring environmental and social prosperity to our region has never been clearer.

"This is our opportunity to focus resources on enabling the greenest recovery possible, something we know is so important to our customers.

“We know this work will have a significant and positive impact on chalk stream biodiversity, and the local communities who enjoy these special water courses. We estimate these schemes will support around 600 jobs in our supply chain.

“Through partnerships with environmental organisations like Rivers Trusts and Wildlife Trusts, we hope to take forward the 34 treatment wetlands and various river restoration schemes in the list.”