Severn Trent could send water to East Anglia
Shropshire water supplier Severn Trent is considering a plan to flow water from the Midlands into the drought-hit East.
The plan under consideration by bosses at Severn Trent and Anglian Water would see 30 million litres of raw water per day - enough to supply 100,000 homes in the Anglian Water region - transferred 80 miles from Birmingham to Gainsborough under the Severn Trent Water scheme.
David Essex, water strategy manager for Severn Trent said “Technical discussions are underway and this could happen as early as June. We will soon be able to confirm if we are in a position to be able to help our neighbours while having enough to keep our own customers in supply.”
Simon Love, head of drought response at Anglian Water, said: “We are talking to Severn Trent about this idea, and it’s one that we are taking seriously. We are exploring a number of options to help support the drought-hit region, including the movement of water across water company boundaries.
“In the short term, though, it’s vital that everyone takes steps to save water in the home. Large-scale support like this scheme could help, but even if we are able to make it work, it won’t mean we can cancel this summer’s hosepipe ban.”
The scheme is being explored under the auspices of the Collaborative Drought Planning Group, alongside Water UK. Any final proposal would need to be ratified by the Environment Agency before it would be put into operation.
Much of the east of England has been in drought status since summer 2011, with the area at risk of drought expanding to include most of the south and east of England, and now including parts of Yorkshire.
Severn Trent Water has been taking steps over the past months to make sure there is enough water across the region and said it is not currently predicting any usage restrictions this year.
