{"id":105591,"date":"2026-08-18T02:47:36","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T02:47:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/105591\/"},"modified":"2026-08-18T02:47:36","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T02:47:36","slug":"the-areas-new-reservoirs-will-be-finished-first","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/105591\/","title":{"rendered":"The areas new reservoirs will be finished first"},"content":{"rendered":"

At the start of 2026, a drought<\/a> might have seemed unthinkable, after the UK experienced its eighth wettest winter<\/a> since records began.<\/p>\n

But just seven months later, England\u2019s reservoirs<\/a> are averaging 66 per cent full \u2013 far below the 80 per cent usually expected for this time of year, with two Somerset reservoirs, Wimbleball and Clatworthy, now less than half full.<\/p>\n

Three-quarters of England and the whole of Wales are now in drought<\/a>, with hosepipe bans affecting millions of homes.<\/p>\n

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news<\/p>\n

Eurostar rival finally gets go ahead \u2013 everything we know<\/p>\n

\"RailVirgin will be raising prices by 3.2 per cent (Photo: Getty)<\/p>\n

Incoming Eurostar rival Virgin\u00a0Trains\u00a0has been granted track access for new services between London and Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam in 2030.<\/p>\n

It marks a step closer to ending Eurostar\u2019s monopoly. The trainline has operated without competition for nearly 32 years.<\/p>\n

Approval lasts for 10 years<\/p>\n

\"AnCaption: An aerial photograph shows the Temple Mills International train depot in east London, on October 27, 2025. British entrepreneur Richard Branson vowed Thursday to \u201cshake up\u201d cross-Channel train services after regulators approved a key bid by his Virgin Group to share an east London depot with Eurostar. The Virgin founder said the decision by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to grant access to the Temple Mills International site for maintaining and storing trains was \u201cthe right one for consumers\u201d. (Photo by Yelim LEE \/ AFP) (Photo by YELIM LEE\/AFP via Getty Images)
Photographer: YELIM LEE
Provider: AFP via Getty Images
Source: AFP
Copyright: AFP or licensors<\/p>\n

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has given approval for Sir Richard Branson\u2019s company to run up to 20 daily services through the Channel Tunnel between October 2030 to December 2040.<\/p>\n

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Big Read<\/p>\n

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Virgin Trains in Eurostar stations<\/p>\n

In October, Virgin Trains was told it could share Eurostar\u2019s Temple Mills depot in east London.<\/p>\n

Temple Mills is the only depot that can be accessed from High Speed 1 \u2013 the line that runs between London and the tunnel.<\/p>\n

Virgin Trains plans to run services between St Pancras and the same stations in Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam used by Eurostar.<\/p>\n

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\u2018Still more work to do\u2019<\/p>\n

This is an important next step in bringing competition and growth to the market for international rail services, and we welcome the progress\u00a0Virgin\u00a0Trains\u00a0and London St Pancras High Speed have made. While there is still more work to do, we are supporting\u00a0Virgin\u00a0and the wider industry to grow international services.<\/p>\n

Martin Jones, Deputy director of access and international<\/p>\n

\"VirginsVirgins Trains East Coast failed again due to \u2018wildly wrong\u2019 forecasts (Photo: Stagecoach)<\/p>\n

What next?<\/p>\n

Despite just clearing a major regulatory hurdle, Virgin\u00a0Trains\u00a0has yet to secure access to other rail networks. <\/p>\n

It must also obtain safety approvals from the ORR and relevant regulators in the EU before services start in 2030.<\/p>\n

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news<\/p>\n

The weather to expect for the rest of the summer<\/p>\n

\"LONDON,Much of England this week was placed under an amber warning for extreme heat, in the face of the fifth heatwave in a summer marked by extremely dry weather and drought (Photo: Dan Kitwood\/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

While temperatures are expected to drop this week after the UK\u2019s fifth heatwave brought a record 38.1\u00b0C \u2013 it appears the relief will be only temporary. <\/p>\n

Another heatwave is expected to descend on the UK next month, the\u00a0Met Office\u00a0has warned, after a month of\u00a0unprecedented hot and dry\u00a0conditions.<\/p>\n

A September heatwave<\/p>\n

The Met Office has predicted that there is a chance of a late-season heatwave developing in September as the UK moves into the meteorological autumn.<\/p>\n

The forecaster said there was \u201ca chance that late-season hot spells or heatwaves develop\u201d in the south between 31 August and 14 September.<\/p>\n

\"(FILES)Caption: (FILES) An aerial view shows the green square and parched, dry and yellow grass on the cricket field of Maidenhead & Bray CC during a game, in Bray, west of London on July 25, 2026, during the extended heatwave. Climate change has intensified a drought across Europe this summer, with extreme heat driving the exceptionally dry conditions, according to experts. (Photo by Justin TALLIS \/ AFP via Getty Images)
Photographer: JUSTIN TALLIS
Provider: AFP via Getty Images
Source: AFP
Copyright: AFP or licensors<\/p>\n

\"PeoplePeople on the cracked and dried mud bed of Hollow Pond, where the water levels have significantly dropped, in east London (Photo: Yui Mok\/PA Wire)<\/p>\n

\nNorthern areas to see \u2018more changeable conditions\u2019\n<\/p>\n

The Met Office predicts \u201cdrier, more settled weather is slightly more likely towards the south and east. Temperatures are again likely to be near to or above average overall\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"PeopleA wildfire warning in Richmond Park, London (Photo: Toby Melville\/Reuters)<\/p>\n

\"PeopleCaption: People look out from a viewpoint at Newlands Corner, near Guildford, southwest of London, on August 2, 2026, over dry fields, turned brown from the heat of the sun and the lack of rain. England and Wales were on course for the driest July since records began nearly 200 years ago, the Met Office said on Friday, amid a prolonged heatwave and exceptionally low rainfall. (Photo by Peter Nicholls \/ AFP via Getty Images)
Photographer: PETER NICHOLLS
Provider: AFP via Getty Images
Source: AFP
Copyright: AFP or licensors<\/p>\n

While the south may see more heat, there will likely be \u201cmore changeable conditions\u201d in the north and northwest of the country as autumn begins, the Met Office said.<\/p>\n

Rain to fall after record dry July<\/p>\n

Looking to the weekend, BBC Weather forecasts up to a 58 per cent chance of rain on Sunday, 23 August. <\/p>\n

The following week could also see some rain, with BBC Weather predicting showers on Thursday, 28 August and Friday, 29 August \u2013 some respite after the driest July on record across England.<\/p>\n

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\"PalestiniansCaption: Palestinians run for cover as smoke and fire rise during an Israeli strike on the the Al-Muttaqin Mosque in Gaza City on July 28, 2026. Gaza remains gripped by daily violence, with both the Israeli military and Hamas accusing one another of violating the truce in effect since October 10. The war flattened swathes of the territory, displaced most of the population at least once, and left hundreds of thousands of people living in tents and temporary shelters. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA \/ AFP via Getty Images)
Photographer: OMAR AL-QATTAA
Provider: AFP via Getty Images
Source: AFP
Copyright: AFP or licensors<\/p>\n

news<\/p>\n

Where does the Gaza peace deal stand?<\/p>\n

US envoy Jared Kushner is in the Middle East today for talks with key figures, following a rare meeting with Hamas\u2019s leader yesterday.<\/p>\n

Last month, Donald Trump\u2019s Board of Peace said it had reached\u00a0an agreement for the \u201ccomplete disarmament\u201d\u00a0of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza. <\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what you need to know.<\/p>\n

\nIsrael rejects Gaza peace plan\n<\/p>\n

\"GAZAHamas continues to rule over the Gaza strip and has refused calls from Board of Peace officials to disarm (Photo: Chris McGrath\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Hamas deal<\/p>\n

Trump said Hamas had agreed to disarm if Israel withdraws its forces from Gaza. Israel rejected the 15-point plan, which calls for Gaza to be rebuilt under a new civilian Palestinian administration.<\/p>\n

US-brokered ceasefire<\/p>\n

The Hamas deal breakthrough came nine months after a US-brokered ceasefire was signed, with negotiations between Israel and Hamas largely deadlocked since then.<\/p>\n

\"sraeliCaption: sraeli soldiers take a break on their armoured vehicles at a position along the Israel-Gaza border fence on October 10, 2025. Gaza\u2019s civil defence agency said on October 10 that Israeli forces have begun pulling back from parts of the territory, particularly in Gaza City and Khan Yunis. Israeli prime minister\u2019s office said that the government had \u201capproved the framework\u201d of a hostage release deal with Hamas, as both sides edged closer to ending more than two years of hostilities in Gaza. (Photo by Jack GUEZ \/ AFP) (Photo by JACK GUEZ\/AFP via Getty Images)
Photographer: JACK GUEZ
Provider: AFP via Getty Images
Source: AFP
Copyright: AFP or licensors<\/p>\n

\nUS envoy to meet Netanyahu\n<\/p>\n

Netanyahu rejects plan<\/p>\n

The Israeli PM said his military would not withdraw from Gaza, warning there would never be a Palestinian state in Gaza under his leadership.<\/p>\n

\"Israel'sIsrael\u2019s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed a push from the mayor of New York City to arrest him (Photo: Nathan Howard\/AFP)<\/p>\n

\"FILECaption: FILE PHOTO: Jared Kushner looks on during a swearing-in ceremony of Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 6, 2025. REUTERS\/Kent Nishimura\/File Photo
Photographer: Kent Nishimura
Provider: REUTERS
Source: REUTERS<\/p>\n

US envoy in Middle East<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s envoy Jared Kushner is expected to meet Netanyahu today to discuss the US-backed Gaza plan. He met with with Hamas leader Khalil al Hayya yesterday.<\/p>\n

What happens next?<\/p>\n

Eight Muslim countries issued a statement on Sunday condemning Israel\u2019s rejection.<\/p>\n

While it\u2019s not yet clear whether Kushner\u2019s talks will be successful, one topic at the heart of discussions will be the disarmament process. <\/p>\n

\"PalestiniansCaption: Palestinians pass along a street surrounded by buildings destroyed during Israeli air and ground operations in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, in Gaza City, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo\/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Photographer: Abdel Kareem Hana
Provider: AP
Source: AP<\/p>\n

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Why average house price plunged by \u00a37,360 in August<\/p>\n

\"PropertiesWhile a quieter market could create opportunities for buyers, for sellers it means pricing correctly and being realistic more than ever (Photo: Jason Alden\/Getty)<\/p>\n

Average house prices nosedived\u00a0by\u00a0more than \u00a37,000\u00a0this month- marking the biggest\u00a0August\u00a0price\u00a0fall since 2018, according to new figures.<\/p>\n

Property site Rightmove said asking prices fell\u00a0by\u00a02 per cent, or \u00a37,360\u00a0month-on-month.<\/p>\n

Rightmove downgrades annual house price projections<\/p>\n

While prices\u00a0usually fall\u00a0in\u00a0August,\u00a0this is\u00a0a\u00a0much bigger drop than the 10-year\u00a0average\u00a0of 1.3 per cent. <\/p>\n

The figures prompted Rightmove to downgrade its annual house\u00a0price\u00a0forecast for 2026 from\u00a0a\u00a02 per cent increase to\u00a0between 0 and\u00a0a\u00a02 per cent fall.<\/p>\n

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What is influencing the figures?<\/p>\n

The\u00a0average\u00a0asking\u00a0price\u00a0for a home in\u00a0Britain stood at \u00a3364,999 in August \u2013 1 per cent lower than\u00a0a\u00a0year ago. <\/p>\n

And it\u2019s all down to the supply.<\/p>\n

The number of available\u00a0homes\u00a0for sale is at\u00a0a\u00a012-year high for this time of year. <\/p>\n

This, combined with the quiet summer holiday period, has led to lower price expectations from sellers.<\/p>\n

Colleen Babcock,\u00a0a\u00a0property expert at\u00a0Rightmove, said the larger-than-usual price drop is a sign sellers are pricing much more competitively from the offset.<\/p>\n

\u201cBuyers have the widest choice of\u00a0homes\u00a0for sale at this time of year\u00a0in\u00a0more than\u00a0a\u00a0decade, so standing out\u00a0on\u00a0price\u00a0for the right reasons is hugely important,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\nA regional divide in property prices\n<\/p>\n

But not everywhere is experiencing a dampening in property prices \u2013 as usual, there is a regional divide,\u00a0Rightmove\u00a0said.<\/p>\n

\"EMBARGOEDSome buyers are putting purchases on pause (Yui Mok\/PA Wire)<\/p>\n

\"BIRMINGHAM,One third of renters are paying 50 per cent or more of their income on their rent (Photo: Christopher Furlong\/ Getty)<\/p>\n

In\u00a0the North West of England, average asking\u00a0prices\u00a0are up\u00a0by\u00a01.9 per cent annually, beating out homes in London where prices have sunk by 3.1 per cent on average. <\/p>\n

Burnham \u2018mini bounce\u2019<\/p>\n

The depressed figures follow a\u00a0\u201cmini bounce\u201d\u00a0in\u00a0buyer demand since Andy Burnham became PM.<\/p>\n

Buying activity, however, remains roughly 10 per cent below 2025 levels due to the changing picture for mortgage rates, geopolitical uncertainty and October\u2019s Budget spooking potential buyers.<\/p>\n

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Everything you need to know about Reform\u2019s welfare overhaul<\/p>\n

Reform UK is preparing to unveil the\u00a0biggest shake-up of the welfare system \u201cin a generation\u201d, with plans to abolish personal independence payments (PIP) for working-age adults and save an estimated \u00a350bn a year.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

Eleanor Langford<\/p>\n

Political Reporter<\/p>\n

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\u2018We will not pretend this is painless\u2019<\/p>\n

Nearly three million people would\u00a0see their disability or sickness payments withdrawn or changed\u00a0under the plans.<\/p>\n

The party\u2019s treasury spokesman, Robert Jenrick, set out the proposals in an article for\u00a0The Sunday Telegraph, ahead of a full 50-page policy paper due on Monday. He has\u00a0acknowledged the human cost directly, writing: \u201cWe will not pretend this is painless.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"FileReform UK party leader Nigel Farage (left) and Reform\u2019s Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick (Photo: Stefan Rousseau\/PA Wire)<\/p>\n

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What is Reform proposing?<\/p>\n

Reform would scrap PIP and the health element of universal credit for working-age adults. Both would be replaced with a new \u201chealth security allowance\u201d, a single, regularly reviewed payment.<\/p>\n

Only claimants with \u201csevere, enduring and high-risk\u201d conditions would qualify for that cash support.<\/p>\n

Everyone else currently receiving disability-related payments would lose their cash entitlement altogether.<\/p>\n

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\nA closer look at the detail\n<\/p>\n

Those who would lose access to payments would instead be supported through council-run disability support accounts.<\/p>\n

\"LONDON,An activist holds a placard during a protest over benefits cuts organised by People\u2019s Assembly on June 7, 2025 in London, England. Activists as well as some Labour MPs have objected to the government\u2019s proposed benefits cuts, including tightened criteria for personal independence payments (Pip) for people with disabilities. (Photo by Alishia Abodunde\/Getty Images)
Photographer: Alishia Abodunde
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Getty Images Europe<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Government faced backlash for proposing to cut personal independence payments last summer (Photo: Mark Kerrison\/In Pictures via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Reform estimates that 2.16 million would keep their present cash entitlement in full, while 2.89 million would see theirs modified or withdrawn.<\/p>\n

Child payments impacted <\/p>\n

\"FileThis week, Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves have both strongly hinted they will lift the two-child benefit limit (Photo: Danny Lawson\/PA) <\/p>\n

The party plans to extend the same approach to children\u2019s benefits, aligning the system for anxiety, depression and ADHD with the adult changes, though only for new claimants.<\/p>\n

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Plans modelled on Dutch system<\/p>\n

Reform would also place a new obligation on businesses with more than five staff to take out \u201creturn to work cover\u201d insurance, which would pay for the cost of an employee\u2019s first two years off sick, rather than the state covering that cost through benefits.<\/p>\n

The scheme is modelled on the Dutch system, where Reform argues disability benefit applications fell by 40 per cent after similar reforms were introduced.<\/p>\n

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\"ExpertsExperts say the world is at a key cross-roads in malaria control and eradication (Photo: James Gathany\/CDC via AP)<\/p>\n

news<\/p>\n

Scientists hail malaria breakthrough \u2013 what we know<\/p>\n

A new compound has been hailed \u201can exciting step forward\u201d in the fight against malaria \u2013 which kills hundreds of thousands of people each year.<\/p>\n

Researchers at the University of Dundee, who discovered the compound, say it has the potential to simplify dosing regimens for the treatment and prevention of the illness.<\/p>\n

\nA \u2018novel drug-like molecule\u2019\n<\/p>\n

The new compound, called cabamiquine, is described as a \u201cnovel drug-like molecule\u201d that can be delivered in a single dose.<\/p>\n

\"GERMANYThe advances in a vaccine against malaria was one of 2023\u2019s most promising breakthroughs (Photo: Getty Images)<\/p>\n

\"TheThe world should learn the lessons of Covid to fast-track vaccines for deadly diseases like malaria, according to Professor Adrian Hill (Photo: AFP)<\/p>\n

An early-stage clinical trial showed that when administered with a commonly used antimalarial drug called pyronaridine, it is both effective and has a favourable safety profile in adults and adolescents.<\/p>\n

Larger trials on the horizon<\/p>\n

The team said the findings support the development of the combination therapy for larger trials and children.<\/p>\n

In 2024, there were an estimated 282 million cases of\u00a0malaria\u00a0and 610,000 deaths from the disease worldwide. Figures have been rising in part due to resistance to common malaria medicines.<\/p>\n

\"FILECaption: FILE PHOTO: A doctor tests a child for malaria at the Ithani-Asheri Hospital in Arusha, Tanzania, May 11, 2016. REUTERS\/Katy Migiro\/File Photo
Photographer: Katy Migiro
Provider: REUTERS
Source: X04265<\/p>\n

\"RecurringRecurring malaria is the most common type of malaria outside Sub-Saharan Africa. (NABILA EL HADAD\/AFP\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

An \u2018exciting step forward\u2019<\/p>\n

This is an exciting step forward for a compound which has great potential to simplify dosing regimens for\u00a0malaria, a disease which causes hundreds of thousands of deaths every year. We are delighted to see how the compound\u2026 is progressing into a potential malaria\u00a0medicine.<\/p>\n

Dr Beatriz Baragana, a member of the Dundee University team that discovered cabamiquine<\/p>\n

\"\"Amina Dawd, 36, strokes one of her resting children\u2019s hair as two of her other children sleep under the protective bednets. The children sleeping without the net will still gain some protection from the repellant properties of the bednet. The Long Lasting Insecticide Nets (LLIN) help to repell bugs and prevent malaria, the country\u2019s biggest killer disease. (Photo by Louise Gubb\/Corbis via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

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Professor Hannah Cloke, a hydrologist at the University of Reading, said the UK\u2019s water network \u201cdoes not build years of storage into the system, so one wet winter does not guarantee healthy reservoir levels through a dry year\u201d.<\/p>\n

This winter\u2019s rain did top up supplies, she said, but \u201can exceptionally dry and hot spring and summer\u201d drained them again just as fast.<\/p>\n

The government knows this is a problem. In 2025, it promised nine new reservoirs<\/a> to boost the country\u2019s water storage.<\/p>\n

None of them has been built yet \u2013 and Cloke says part of the problem is simple \u201cinertia\u201d, with Britain continuing \u201cas normal\u201d even as the climate changes<\/a> around it.<\/p>\n

The plans for new reservoirs<\/p>\n

The nine reservoirs are planned across Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Suffolk, Kent, East Sussex and the West Midlands.<\/p>\n

Some are further along than others. The White Horse reservoir, near Abingdon in Oxfordshire, and the Fens reservoir, near Cambridge, are the most advanced, though both remain in the planning and design stage, with White Horse expected to be completed by 2040 and the Fens by 2036.<\/p>\n

Costs for White Horse have already climbed sharply \u2013 estimates for construction have more than tripled since the project began, and it could now cost bill-payers up to \u00a37.5bn.<\/p>\n

Others are much earlier in the process. Mendip Quarries in Somerset cannot begin construction until quarrying ends in 2040. River Adur in Sussex doesn\u2019t even have a confirmed site.<\/p>\n

The one reservoir actually under construction right now isn\u2019t part of the nine. Havant Thicket, near Portsmouth, was already under way before the government\u2019s 2025 pledge, and is due to open in 2031 \u2013 the first new major reservoir to open in England in more than 30 years, since Carsington Water in Derbyshire.<\/p>\n

Why does it take so long to build one?<\/p>\n

Building a reservoir is a major undertaking, and it can take anywhere between 15 and 25 years from the first proposal to the taps actually turning on. Four separate hurdles stand in the way.<\/p>\n

The first is finding a location. Reservoirs need a lot of space \u2013 often several square kilometres \u2013 and the right type of soil nearby to supply construction material.<\/p>\n

As Terry Fuller, chairman of the Institution of Civil Engineers\u2019 National Reservoir Infrastructure Forum, put it, these sites \u201cdon\u2019t grow on trees\u201d.<\/p>\n

Getting planning permission is its own hurdle, and one that can take years to clear. One thing that can complicate this stage, according to Fuller, is that the planning authorities at local councils are \u201cfamously under-resourced\u201d and often have limited experience when it comes to approving reservoirs.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a very specialist thing compared to, say, a house extension, for example,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The government has tried to bypass some of this for its three most advanced projects \u2013 White Horse, the Fens and South Lincs \u2013 by automatically classing them as \u201cnationally significant infrastructure\u201d, which hands the final planning decision to the government. However, the other six new reservoirs don\u2019t have this status.<\/p>\n

\"WithMuch of England last week was placed under an amber warning for extreme heat, in the face of the fifth heatwave (Photo: Jonathan Brady\/PA)<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s geography. Much of the South and East of England \u2013 where water demand is highest, but rainfall is lowest \u2013 is also some of the hardest places to build a reservoir.<\/p>\n

Traditionally, reservoirs were built by damming a valley, flooding it to create a lake held in place by walls at one end. That works well in hilly areas like Wales, the Pennines and the Lake District, but most of those sites are already in use.<\/p>\n

The South and East of England, by contrast, is largely flat, with no valleys left to dam. Instead, something closer to an artificial lake has to be built, with a ring of embankments made from specialist clay enclosing it on all sides \u2013 a significantly more costly endeavour.<\/p>\n

The final challenge is filling the reservoir. Rain alone isn\u2019t enough, and many new sites also have no single large river to draw from, relying instead on pumping in surplus water from smaller sources during winter.<\/p>\n

The Fens reservoir shows how this issue can derail a project. Its progress through planning was delayed after regulators said developers had not resolved how they would fill it, since the site relies on a mix of smaller rivers and a man-made drainage network rather than one clear source.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said the Government was \u201csecuring water supplies for the future\u201d with \u00a3104bn of private investment to fix leaks, build the nine reservoirs and secure supplies, and was \u201cstreamlining the planning process\u201d by fast-tracking projects as \u201cnationally significant\u201d.<\/p>\n

Why reservoirs might not be enough<\/p>\n

Even if all nine reservoirs are built, they won\u2019t solve Britain\u2019s water problem on their own.<\/p>\n

The Environment Agency estimates that England alone will need five billion extra litres of water a day by 2055 \u2013 far off the 700 million litres the nine new reservoirs are set to deliver.<\/p>\n

Much of that pressure is likely to come from Labour\u2019s pledge to build 1.5 million new homes before the next general election, due in 2029.<\/p>\n

Dr Megan Klaar, a water scientist at the University of Leeds, said housebuilding \u201cis going to put huge stress\u201d on regions \u201cwhere they\u2019re already having water restrictions\u201d, like Oxfordshire and Cambridgeshire.<\/p>\n

Klaar, and every other expert The i Paper spoke to, agreed that the UK needed to look at other options to ensure water security in the future.<\/p>\n

Dr Kevin Grecksch, a water governance expert at the University of Oxford, said water reuse \u2013 treating wastewater so it can be used again rather than drawn fresh \u2013 was one of \u201cthe hottest topics\u201d in academic water management right now.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy are we using fresh water to put on our potatoes or on our wheat?\u201d he said, pointing out that around 70 per cent of the world\u2019s fresh water is used for agriculture. \u201cIt\u2019s perfectly fine \u2013 many countries across the world are already using [treated water on plants].\u201d<\/p>\n

He said the technology already exists to treat wastewater to drinking standard if needed \u2013 something several EU countries already require by law, and the UK could also look at adopting.<\/p>\n

Another option is desalination \u2013 removing salt from seawater to make it drinkable \u2013 but experts were far less enthusiastic about it. Grecksch compared it to nuclear power in the energy sector: \u201cIt all sounds very good on paper, but it comes with some problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s highly energy-intensive, he said, leaves behind a \u201ctoxic brine\u201d by-product, and costs roughly 10 times more than treating river or reservoir water.<\/p>\n

\"GeneralThe Environment Agency estimates that England alone will need five billion extra litres of water a day by 2055 (Photo: Joe Giddens\/PA)<\/p>\n

Use less, waste less\u00a0<\/p>\n

Another option is simply encouraging people to use less water. Klaar said new-build homes should be required to include water-saving devices and water butts \u2013 which collect rainwater for gardening \u2013 as standard, arguing house builders \u201caren\u2019t really going to do it on their own volition\u201d without a change in the rules.<\/p>\n

She also said water metering \u2013 charging households based on how much water they actually use, rather than a fixed rate \u2013 could help, since it \u201cmakes you realise how much water you\u2019re using\u201d \u2013 though she admitted it \u201cwouldn\u2019t be popular.\u201d<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s an even \u201cbigger prize\u201d for saving water, according to Cloke \u2013 fixing the leaks to tackle the 2.9 billion litres of water lost this way daily. The i Paper revealed last month that water companies were losing far more to leaks<\/a> than the hosepipe bans they implemented were saving.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, most experts agree the biggest risk isn\u2019t any single missing reservoir or unfixed leak, but the danger of standing still. <\/p>\n

As Grecksch put it, what\u2019s needed most is \u201can honest and serious discussion and conversation about the future of our water resources\u201d \u2013 something he said has so far been missing amid \u201ca lot of fragmented planning\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"At the start of 2026, a drought might have seemed unthinkable, after the UK experienced its eighth wettest…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":105592,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[4],"tags":[602,38658,375,2019,5,6,4806,42216],"class_list":["post-105591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-uk","tag-climate-change","tag-drought","tag-infrastructure","tag-politics-long-read","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-water","tag-water-shortage"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@UnitedKingdom\/117114231480643320","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105591","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105591"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105591\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/105592"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105591"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105591"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105591"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}