Businesses could have water stopped to ensure hospitals keep getting a supply if the shortage continues into next year, a campaigner warned today.
Martin Salter, a former Labour MP and chief policy advisor to the Angling Trust, said England may “stumble on” until Christmas but the situation will be “cataclysmic” if the winter is dry too.
He warned that could force the National Drought Group to escalate to its highest alert of “severe drought”, in which COBRA meets and there are “drought orders” and emergency restrictions on domestic and commercial water use.
“Ministers would have to make decisions as to whether a business gets a water that day or whether a hospital or maternity unit gets water that day,” he said.
The Environment Agency has not yet declared a drought for England but more hosepipe bans are coming in, and Water UK said it is “increasingly inevitable” drought will be declared.
Mr Salter told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We are seeing rivers drying up… we’ve got reports of fish kills from Shropshire down to Sussex. It is a very, very serious situation.
“Whilst we could probably stumble on through the rest of this year, if we have a dry winter, we are looking at a cataclysmic situation next year.
“And we really need to start saving water now, start taking things seriously and more importantly, actually getting real about water policy in this country, which has been a complacent shambles for a generation.”
Asked what will happen if winter is dry too, Mr Salter said: “It looks pretty serious. I mean, if we move into the level four situation where you are looking at effectively, the government introducing water rationing standpipes in the streets.
“Not only would we see huge … damage to fish and wildlife. But you would see the public water supply at threat.
“Ministers would have to make decisions as to whether a business gets a water that day or whether a hospital or maternity unit gets water that day.
“You would effectively see COBRA, the government's Emergency Committee running things .
“We’ve never been at that situation. But we've never had a situation particularly here in the south and south east where we've had the driest period from November right the way through until July of this year.”
Stuart Colville, director of policy at Water UK, has said it is a "constant battle" to stop water leakage but that the water industry is doing "everything possible" to do so.
He told BBC Breakfast: "Although we are currently seeing the lowest level of leakage on record, it is a constant battle because, particularly in hot, dry conditions, what happens is the soil dries out, cracks, and it moves, and that puts additional pressure on the pipes, and that can cause additional bursts."
