The present study focuses on the development of multifunctional sorbent/photocatalytic materials based on Mg-Al layered double hydroxides (LDHs) doped with Cu2 + or Cr3+ ions as a promising path to solve rising environmental problems. The LDHs were synthesized using a simple co-precipitation method and characterized using XRD, FTIR, SEM, EDX, XPS and UV-Vis spectroscopy methods. Developed materials exhibit high efficiency in heavy metals (Cu2+ and Pb2+) sorption and photodegradation of hazardous organic dyes (Congo red). The photocatalytic activity, enhanced by oxygen vacancies and tuned electronic structure, occurs under visible light provided by a cheap LED lamp. After separate studies of sorption and photodegradation, the ability of simultaneous removal of Pb2+ ion and Congo red dye from distilled water as well as from a city channel water was demonstrated. The sample of Mg-Al LDH doped with Cr3+ ion in a city channel water shows 72 % of Pb2+ sorption in 1.25 mg⋅L−1 solution and 80 % of Congo red photodegradation under visible light in 4 mg⋅L−1 solution with following 100 % Pb2+ desorption in low concentrated HCl solution.