Britain would risk Mediterranean-style rationing of water without new reservoirs and urgent investment in the network, a minister has warned.
Emma Hardy, the water minister, claimed that years of underinvestment had left the country at risk of seasonal shortages, hosepipe bans and an inadequate supply of clean drinking water.
She painted the Government’s overhaul of the water system in England, which includes tough new fines for firms which fail to live up to minimum standards, as a key way of seeing off the threat from Reform UK, accusing Nigel Farage of “total disregard” for nature.
Hardy is announcing the fast-track construction of two new reservoirs, with another seven to come before 2050, after a three-decade period in which none were built. Work has already started on Havant Thicket reservoir in Hampshire.
She said that without action, the UK could run out of drinking water by “the middle of the next decade”.
In an interview with The i Paper, she warned: “The alternative is, you know, carry on as we have in the last 14 years. Do nothing. Let nothing happen. No reservoirs are being built.
“And what do we end up with? A situation of rationing, more hosepipe bans, the situation that we see happening in different countries in the Mediterranean. Now, I’m not prepared to let that happen under my watch.”
Last summer, persistent drought in Sicily meant the water supply was turned on only once a week and residents were told not to wash their clothes and flush the toilet infrequently.
The minister said that more than £100bn in private investment would help upgrade the network, including by cutting down on leaks, without the need for funding from the Treasury – ahead of a spending review where Rachel Reeves is likely to announce a squeeze on many Government departments’ budgets.
“This isn’t costing the Government, it’s not costing Rachel money,” Hardy said. “This is private investment going into our water industry – and much, much needed.”
The reservoir announcement comes just a day after the regulator handed Thames Water a record fine of £123m for letting sewage pollute waterways and for breaking the rules by handing shareholders dividend payments worth tens of millions of pounds.
Water minister Emma Hardy said years of underinvestment have left the country at risk of seasonal shortages (Photo: UK Parliament)Hardy said: “The message we want to send is that we’re serious about cleaning up our rivers, lakes and seas, and we’re serious about enforcement.
“Under the previous Conservative Government, we haven’t had the level of enforcement we need.
“So this is all about delivering on the promises that we made in Government, and this is saying that this is a Government that takes this issue really seriously.”
She praised the “very effective” Save Britain’s Rivers campaign run by The i Paper, and insisted that sewage discharges would be cut in half before the next general election.
And the minister also suggested that action on pollution could prove a key part of Labour’s strategy to defeat Reform, saying: “Nigel Farage claims to be patriotic.
“Yet Reform couldn’t even be bothered to mention sewage once in their manifesto last year.
“That shows the total disregard Farage has for the beautiful rivers across England’s green and pleasant land.
“Compare this to Labour. We have launched the toughest crackdown on water companies in history.
“Last week, we announced a record 81 criminal investigations have been launched into water companies.
“Yesterday, Ofwat announced the largest fine ever handed to a water company in history.
“The era of profiting from failure is over. The Labour Government is cleaning up our rivers, lakes and seas for good.”
Hardy dismissed the suggestion that nationalisation was the only way to ensure that the water network is run in the interests of consumers, despite calls from Reform for the state to take over Thames Water.
She said: “We know that nationalisation, if we were to go down that path, would cost us billions of pounds, and we want to focus on delivering for your readers and for the country.
“And what people care about when I talk to them is, what are you doing to stop the pollution? And that’s what my focus is, and that’s where all my energy and effort lies, in what are we doing to stop the pollution.
“And that comes down to enforcement, enforcement and investment, and they’re the two things that we need, and I’m not going to be diverted off that.”
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