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Water Supply

My Lords, I thank my noble friend for what he said. First, given that we seem to have had a lot of warning of this year’s water difficulties, would it not be better if the water companies built more reservoirs? We have plenty of rain but we do not have the storage capacity to meet the needs arising from the weather we have had. Secondly, can my noble friend explain why, at a time of water shortages, the water companies are making record profits? People simply do not understand that.