UK reservoirs face potential depletion before Christmas

Government ministers have been warned that reservoirs in parts of England could run dry within weeks, potentially leaving households without water before Christmas. The government's emergency committee, Cobra, is meeting twice weekly to manage the crisis affecting South West England and Sussex.

A confidential "reasonable worst-case scenario" prepared by officials suggests water stocks could drop to zero per cent. Such a depletion could disrupt domestic water supplies and impact the construction of a nuclear power station. Key reservoirs are already at critically low levels: Wimbleball in Somerset, which serves over 400,000 people, is at approximately 13 per cent capacity, while Ardingly in West Sussex, serving 280,000 customers, is at roughly 17 per cent.

The shortage follows a summer of record heatwaves that caused the driest April-to-September period in over a century for the affected regions. Water companies, including Southern Water, South East Water, and South West Water, have requested that Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle consider bans on non-essential water use, such as car washes, water sports fields, and private pool refills. While South West Water has privately stated that preventative measures may keep Wimbleball from running dry, the threat of a "day zero" scenario remains a central focus of emergency planning.