Taps could run dry without urgent action on drought, peers warn ministers

England’s water security is moving toward a serious squeeze, with costs from inaction expected to affect farmers, food producers, manufacturers, and small businesses. A House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee warns that taps could run dry unless the Government captures, stores, and reuses more of the rain that falls on the islands. Climate change, population growth, leaky Victorian pipework, and thirsty industries are pushing the system toward a tipping point. Britain is not short of rainfall, but much of it is wasted, flowing into rivers and the sea instead of being held for drier months. If ministers do not act, public demand could exceed supply by five billion litres per day by 2055, matching Environment Agency projections unless leakage is reduced and new sources are developed.

"England's water security is heading for a serious squeeze, and the bill for inaction will land squarely on the desks of farmers, food producers, manufacturers and the wider small business community. That is the blunt message from a cross-party House of Lords committee, which on Thursday 21 May publishes a report warning that the taps risk running dry unless the Government moves quickly to capture, store and reuse more of the rain that already falls on these islands."

"In Surviving drought: reclaim the rain, the House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee argues that climate change, a growing population, leaky Victorian pipework and thirsty industries are pushing the system towards a tipping point. Britain, the peers note, is not actually short of rainfall. The problem is that far too much of it is wasted, washed straight into rivers and the sea rather than held back for the dry months that climate science now tells us to expect with growing frequency."

"If ministers fail to act, public demand for water could outstrip supply by five billion litres every day by 2055, the equivalent of around 2,000 Olympic swimming pools draining away unmet each morning. That projection sits in line with the Environment Agency's own National Framework for Water Resources, which has previously warned of a shortfall of similar scale unless leakage is cut and new sources of supply brought online."

"Baroness Sheehan, who chairs the committee, says the experience of the 2025 drought should serve as an early warning rather than a one-off. "Climate change is increasing the risk of drought through a combination of hotter summers and heavier winter rains, making the capture and storage of rainwater increasingly important," she said. "We have already had a dry start to this spring, so it is critical that action is taken now to prepare for serious drought conditions, partic"

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