George Eustice – 2022 Comments on Maintaining Water Supplies

The comments made by George Eustice, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on 10 August 2022.

Today I met the chief executives of water companies to discuss the measures they are taking to protect water supplies in what is the driest summer in over 50 years.

All water companies have reassured me that water supplies remain resilient across the country. Each company has a pre-agreed drought plan which they are following, and I have urged them to take any precautionary steps needed to protect essential supplies as we go into a likely very dry autumn.

We are better prepared than ever before for periods of dry weather with a system that is working well to manage water usage, protect the environment and maintain water supplies for the public and critical sectors. We will continue to actively monitor the situation, working alongside partners including the Environment Agency.