Water supplies may run short within a decade without urgent reservoir construction
England could face drinking water shortages by the mid-2030s unless new reservoirs are built, the government has warned.
Water Minister Emma Hardy said the country must act now, as two new reservoir projects—Fens Reservoir in Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire Reservoir—are being fast-tracked through planning.
“This is really important because if we don’t build the reservoirs, we’re going to be running out of the drinking water that we need by the mid-2030s,” Hardy told BBC Breakfast.
The decision shifts approval powers from local authorities to Environment Secretary Steve Reed, cutting what ministers call “red tape” to speed up the process.
