Rationing fears unless 'more reservoirs built'

BRITAIN faces “water rationing like we have in the Mediterranean” without new reservoirs, the water minister has warned.

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Emma Hardy has suggested water shortages could hit in the next decade if the UK Government fails to build new artificial lakes, as she revealed plans to speed up the planning approvals process.

The government has unveiled plans to bring reservoirs into the “nationally significant” planning category, which will give ministers the final say on whether projects can go ahead instead of local councils.

Environment secretary Steve Reed has designated projects in Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire as “nationally significant”.

“We have a problem where we're not going to have all of the drinking water that we need by the mid-2030s because we simply haven't built the reservoirs required,” Ms Hardy told GB News.