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Drought Order Applications

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, on the application by the companies concerned, has today granted drought orders that empower Mid Kent Water and Southern Water to limit or prohibit the uses set out in the Drought Direction 1991 (as modified in the Orders). The Mid Kent Water order affects its entire supply area. The two Orders granted to Southern Water apply to the company's Medway, Thanet, Hastings and Sussex Coast/Sussex North supply areas but not to the company's Hampshire and Isle of Wight supply areas. These follow the Order granted last week to Sutton and East Surrey Water. We have seen 18 months of below average rainfall. In these circumstances, the Government's priority is the protection of consumers and of the environment during this exceptional drought. By reducing non-essential uses, through the sensible implementation of this type of drought order, essential supplies to communities can be better maintained should the drought continue. Taking precautionary action now is the responsible thing to do. In taking these decisions, we have carefully considered the reports by the independent Inspectors. The reports concluded that there has been an exceptional shortage of rain and that without the proposed non-essential use bans there is a substantial threat to water supplies in the companies' supply areas. In reaching their conclusions the Inspectors examined the companies' performance in terms of leakage, and noted that both are meeting the long-term targets set by the economic regulator, Ofwat. I am persuaded that the restrictions allowed by these Orders are necessary over and above any further improvements on leakage they are able to make in the short term. I have made clear that we expect to see continued efforts from all the companies to improve leakage. But reducing leakage alone does not solve the problems of low rainfall. We are granting these Orders as a precautionary measure, to allow the companies to take the actions proportionate to the evolving threat to supplies. While the exercise and use of the powers conferred through the Orders is a matter for each company concerned, I expect each company to implement the restrictions in a manner that achieves the most in the way of water savings with as little impact as possible on businesses and in the light of changing circumstances. I have asked each company to keep me informed about the way that they are implementing those restrictions that prove necessary and their overall position on supplies. In addition to this my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I will be meeting next week with both the Regulator, Ofwat, and all of the water companies to discuss the management of water resources. Many people have reacted positively to the message that in addition to action by the companies, we have collective responsibility for managing water as a shared resource. I hope that today's decisions will help everyone focus on the key message that in the areas affected it is their actions now, and in the months to come, which will help all of us to avoid more extreme sanctions should the drought continue into the summer and beyond. Recent rainfall will temporarily boost river flows and help to maintain reservoir stocks, but will do little for overall supplies because the region relies heavily on groundwater (water that seeps through the soil into porous rocks, such as chalk) for 70 per cent. of its supply; in the case of Mid Kent Water that rises to85 per cent. In its report to Ministers last week, the Environment Agency advised that the winter recharge season for groundwater is now over, yet groundwater levels remain critically low. The rain we are seeing now and any we see over the rest of the summer will have little impact on groundwater levels, because at this time of year the effects of evaporation and the uptake of water by growing plants and trees means that most of the rain does not reach the aquifers. In winter we usually get more rain than in other seasons, and a higher proportion gets down to the aquifers. But even though we have passed the recharge season we are still taking hundreds of thousands of tons of water every day from the aquifers in the areas concerned. There are no further drought orders under consideration. I will keep the House informed of any further decisions, should more applications for drought orders be made.