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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Fiona Harvey Environment correspondent

England ‘failing to invest in water networks to avoid future droughts’

Old tree skeletons are exposed due to extremely low water levels at Colliford Lake near Bodmin on 12 August 2022 in Cornwall, United Kingdom.
Water levels at Colliford Lake, Cornwall’s biggest reservoir, are currently at 40%. Ministers should consider creating new reservoirs, said Sir John Armitt. Photograph: Matt Cardy/Getty

England is failing to invest in the water networks needed to avoid a future of recurrent serious droughts, with current policies amounting to the government “keeping [its] fingers crossed”, the UK’s infrastructure chief has warned.

The current drought was a warning that water systems could not cope with the changing climate, with more hot dry spells interspersed with heavier rainfall, said Sir John Armitt, chair of the National Infrastructure Commission.

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