Latest news with #AnglianWater
The Independent
4 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Government steps in to deliver new reservoirs amid water supply concerns
The Government has stepped in to take control of the planning process for two major new reservoirs, as it warns UK water supplies are under threat. Environment Secretary Steve Reed has designated two new reservoir projects in East Anglia and Lincolnshire as 'nationally significant', escalating them from local planning to central Government. The move aims to streamline and fast-track the delivery of the two new reservoirs, the first for more than 30 years, to improve water resources for more than three quarters of a million homes in some of England's most water-stressed areas and unlock the building of new homes. The Government also says it will legislate so that major reservoirs will automatically be designated as 'nationally significant' to make it easier to get them built and secure future water supplies. Officials warn that, without action to build new reservoirs, rapid population growth, crumbling assets and a warming climate mean demand for drinking water could outstrip supply by the middle of the next decade. A lack of water supplies is also holding back the construction of thousands of homes in parts of the country such as Cambridge, they warn. The two reservoirs which have been designated as nationally significant are being proposed by Anglian Water, which wants to build the Lincolnshire reservoir south of Sleaford and is partnering with Cambridge Water for the Fens Reservoir between Chatteris and March in Cambridgeshire. Under the plans, the Lincolnshire reservoir, which would provide up to 166 million litres a day for up to 500,000 homes, would be completed by 2040 and the Fens Reservoir, supplying 87 million litres a day to 250,000 homes in the driest region of the UK, would be completed by 2036. Both projects will now progress to the consultation phase, gathering views from communities and stakeholders, the Government said. Water companies across England have committed to bringing nine new reservoirs online by 2050, in Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Suffolk, Kent, East Sussex and the West Midlands and Somerset, with the potential to supply 670 million litres of extra water per day. Water Minister Emma Hardy said the Government was 'intervening in the national interest and slashing red tape to make the planning process faster to unblock nine new reservoirs'. She said it would secure water supply for future generations and unlock the building of thousands of homes.
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Climate
- Daily Mirror
Reservoir plans fast-tracked as we could run out of water 'in next decade'
The Environment Agency has predicted a shortfall of almost five billion litres a day by 2050 as drier summers caused by the climate crisis has put the country at risk Without any new reservoirs parts of the UK would have been forced to experience extreme rationing to ensure there was enough drinking water, the government has warned. Emma Hardy, the minister for water and flooding, said that without the action the government is taking, the South East and East Anglia would have been under serious risk of water scarcity by 'the middle of the next decade', requiring Mediterranean-style rationing to ensure people had enough drinking water. The lack of reservoir capacity, combined with a rising population and drier summers caused by climate breakdown, has put the country at risk of water shortages. She added that years of underinvestment had left the country at risk of seasonal shortages, hosepipe bans and an inadequate supply of clean drinking water. The minister has announced 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, which is expected to be completed in the early 2030s. She said: 'The alternative is, you know, carry on as we have in the last 14 years. Do nothing. Let nothing happen. No reservoirs 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… I'm not prepared to let that happen under my watch.' Persistent drought in Sicily last summer meant the water supply was turned on only once a week. Residents were told not to wash their clothes and to flush their toilets only infrequently. Experts warned in recent weeks of an impending UK drought this summer if there was not significant rainfall soon, with some reservoirs in the north of the country at worryingly low levels. The environment minister, Steve Reed, confirmed he has awarded the status of 'nationally significant' to two new reservoir projects in East Anglia and Lincolnshire and ordered they go ahead. These will be the first to be built since 1992. The government said this would shore up water resources for more than 750,000 homes in England's most water-stressed areas. Without more capacity, the UK will be at risk of running out of water in the medium term. The Environment Agency has predicted a shortfall of almost five billion litres a day by 2050. Water Minister Emma Hardy said: 'We are backing the builders not the blockers, intervening in the national interest and slashing red tape to make the planning process faster to unblock nine new reservoirs... This Government will secure our water supply for future generations and unlock the building of thousands of homes as part of the Plan for Change." Anglian Water is proposing to build the Lincolnshire Reservoir to the south of Sleaford, aiming to be operational by 2040. The firm has also partnered with Cambridge Water to propose the Fens Reservoir, located between the towns of Chatteris and March, set to be completed in 2036. The Lincolnshire Reservoir would provide up to 166 million litres of water per day for up to 500,000 homes – that is the equivalent of more than 664 million cups of tea per day. The Fens would supply a much needed 87 million litres to 250,000 homes in the driest region of the UK. Both projects will now progress to the consultation phase, where developers gather views from communities and stakeholders. Water companies have committed to bring nine new reservoirs online by 2050, in Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Suffolk, Kent, East Sussex and the West Midlands and Somerset. These reservoirs alone have the potential to provide 670 million litres of extra water per day. The water industry has also welcomed the announcement. "It's absolutely critical that we build these reservoirs now," David Henderson, chief executive of Water UK. "If we don't build them now, we wait another 10 years, it's going to cost even more, so we can't keep kicking the can down the road any longer." Some experts warn that managing how we use water needs to take greater precedence in a warming climate. "We need a complete overhaul of the way we use water, to plug leaks, cut down on waste and store water where it falls as rain," said Prof Hannah Cloke of the University of Reading. "It would be better to make more difficult decisions around regulation of new building, as well as retrofitting older homes and businesses, to cut waste and recycle water where it is used, rather than pumping water across huge distances."
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
First new reservoirs in England for more than 30 years given go-ahead
The government has ordered the building of two reservoirs, the first to be built in England for more than 30 years. The lack of reservoir capacity, combined with a rising population and drier summers caused by climate breakdown, has put the country at risk of water shortages. The government warned in recent weeks of an impending drought if there was not significant rainfall soon, and reservoirs have been reaching worryingly low levels. The environment minister, Steve Reed, has awarded the status of 'nationally significant' to two new reservoir projects in East Anglia and Lincolnshire and ordered that they go ahead. These will be the first to be built since 1992. The government said this would shore up water resources for more than 750,000 homes in England's most water-stressed areas. Without more capacity, the UK will be at risk of running out of water in the medium term. The Environment Agency has predicted a shortfall of almost 5bn litres a day by 2050. The water minister, Emma Hardy, said: 'Today we are backing the builders not the blockers, intervening in the national interest and slashing red tape to make the planning process faster to unblock nine new reservoirs. This government will secure our water supply for future generations and unlock the building of thousands of homes as part of the plan for change.' The building of thousands of homes in the areas to be served by the reservoirs is being held up as there is not the water supply to sustain them. Anglian Water is proposing to build Lincolnshire reservoir to the south of Sleaford, which should be working by 2040. It has partnered with Cambridge Water to propose the Fens reservoir, located between the towns of Chatteris and March, to be completed in 2036. Lincolnshire reservoir would provide up to 166m litres of water a day for up to 500,000 homes, and the Fens reservoir would supply a much-needed 87m litres to 250,000 homes in the driest region of the UK. The projects will now progress to consultation phase. Sign up to Down to Earth The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential after newsletter promotion David Black, the chief executive of Ofwat, said: 'We welcome the clear focus the government is placing upon accelerating the delivery of supply and resilience schemes that will meet our future water needs and support economic growth. Alongside the £2bn of development funding announced at our 2024 price review, this will help us to deliver the largest programme of major water infrastructure projects – including nine new reservoirs – seen in decades.' The other seven new reservoirs planned to be built by 2050 will be in Oxfordshire, Somerset, Suffolk, Kent, East Sussex, the West Midlands and Somerset.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Bird mess a factor as beach earns a 'brown flag'
A beach has been handed a "brown flag" award because of its poor water quality. Heacham, near Hunstanton, is the only beach in Norfolk to receive the unofficial award, because of levels of bacteria such as e-coli from sewage and other waste. Sewage outflows have been identified as contributors to the pollution levels - as well as the waste produced by flocks of sea birds. The Environment Agency said it was working with Anglian Water and West Norfolk Council to make improvements. The brown flag is awarded by a holiday park comparison site which analyses data on beach water quality from the Environment Agency. Thirteen beaches around the coast of England have been designated the unfortunate award this year. Beachgoer Colette and her daughter Amaya visit Heacham beach every day but know the water is not safe to swim in. "We check the signs and it always says poor quality don't swim," she said. "Some days there's foam on the water which is a brown colour. It's really not very pleasant." Colette thinks it is more likely that an outflow pipe transporting water from nearby rivers is to blame for the poor water quality. Ed Tooth, the RSPB conservation officer for the Wash and the north Norfolk coast, said it was not a surprise that bird mess was a contributing factor, as two million birds pass through the area every year. "Bird DNA has been picked up as part of the routine Environment Agency testing," he said. "It is fairly normal to expect that. We have millions of birds visiting here and we are very lucky for that. "It's probably not just the birds that are causing the issue, but we are really keen to work with partners in order to find a solution". He said improvements should not involve any disruption to visiting or nesting birds at Heacham. Anglian Water said tests confirmed that seabird waste left on the mudflats near to Heacham beach was the "primary source" of bacteria found in samples of water. "There are lots of factors that can impact bathing water quality, including agriculture, tides, and ecological factors such as algal blooms," the water company said. It said it was investing £31.3m to investigate and improve bathing waters in the East region until 2027. West Norfolk Council said there had been "marginal" improvements in water quality at Heacham in the past two years. The authority said: "It's apparent that wildlife and ecology plays a significant part in impacting bathing quality results." The Environment Agency told the BBC: "Pollution comes in many forms and from multiple sources, and the Environment Agency will continue to investigate poor water quality." Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Rising fees make beach huts 'hard to keep or sell' 'Our paddleboards come out brown, it's disgusting' Environment Agency West Norfolk Council
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Bird mess a factor as beach earns a 'brown flag'
A beach has been handed a "brown flag" award because of its poor water quality. Heacham, near Hunstanton, is the only beach in Norfolk to receive the unofficial award, because of levels of bacteria such as e-coli from sewage and other waste. Sewage outflows have been identified as contributors to the pollution levels - as well as the waste produced by flocks of sea birds. The Environment Agency said it was working with Anglian Water and West Norfolk Council to make improvements. The brown flag is awarded by a holiday park comparison site which analyses data on beach water quality from the Environment Agency. Thirteen beaches around the coast of England have been designated the unfortunate award this year. Beachgoer Colette and her daughter Amaya visit Heacham beach every day but know the water is not safe to swim in. "We check the signs and it always says poor quality don't swim," she said. "Some days there's foam on the water which is a brown colour. It's really not very pleasant." Colette thinks it is more likely that an outflow pipe transporting water from nearby rivers is to blame for the poor water quality. Ed Tooth, the RSPB conservation officer for the Wash and the north Norfolk coast, said it was not a surprise that bird mess was a contributing factor, as two million birds pass through the area every year. "Bird DNA has been picked up as part of the routine Environment Agency testing," he said. "It is fairly normal to expect that. We have millions of birds visiting here and we are very lucky for that. "It's probably not just the birds that are causing the issue, but we are really keen to work with partners in order to find a solution". He said improvements should not involve any disruption to visiting or nesting birds at Heacham. Anglian Water said tests confirmed that seabird waste left on the mudflats near to Heacham beach was the "primary source" of bacteria found in samples of water. "There are lots of factors that can impact bathing water quality, including agriculture, tides, and ecological factors such as algal blooms," the water company said. It said it was investing £31.3m to investigate and improve bathing waters in the East region until 2027. West Norfolk Council said there had been "marginal" improvements in water quality at Heacham in the past two years. The authority said: "It's apparent that wildlife and ecology plays a significant part in impacting bathing quality results." The Environment Agency told the BBC: "Pollution comes in many forms and from multiple sources, and the Environment Agency will continue to investigate poor water quality." Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Rising fees make beach huts 'hard to keep or sell' 'Our paddleboards come out brown, it's disgusting' Environment Agency West Norfolk Council
