People with large gardens ‘should be paying through the nose’ to water them, climate change advisor says

Homeowners with large gardens must ‘pay bad money’ to water them, the government’s climate change adaptation adviser has said.

Baroness Brown of Cambridge said if water companies started charging more per liter for water they could help stop taps running dry in the coming years.

The Environment Agency predicts that unless urgent action is taken, the UK will face a public water shortage of five billion liters a day by 2055.

Climate change, population growth and the increasing demand of the business world are blamed for this deficit, which corresponds to one-third of the country’s daily consumption.

Brown told the House of Lords’ environment and climate change select committee that the new reservoirs were expected to cover only 40 per cent of the shortfall, the Times reported.

Other water savings should come from repairing leaky pipes and reducing household usage.

A particularly dry month of April this year saw a record 80 million liters per day increase in the use of Yorkshire Water.

Meanwhile, the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Gardening Report estimates that British households use around 500 million liters of water a day in their gardens.

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Gardening Report estimates that British households use around 500 million liters of water a day in their gardens.

Only 18 percent of this use comes from collected rainwater and greywater; 40 percent of it consists only of tap water.

The Met Office warned last week that there was not enough rainfall expected to end the drought that has caused problems in some parts of the country since this spring.

Tornado bans in Yorkshire and parts of the south-east could last into winter following one of the driest springs on record and low reservoir levels.

Yorkshire and the Midlands are facing drought following this year’s dry spring and summer months and a series of heatwaves, while parts of the country are still under ‘exceptionally dry conditions’.

Brown, who leads the climate change committee’s work on adapting to rising temperatures, warned that such droughts are expected to become much more frequent.

He said there needed to be ‘much better engagement with the public’ to recommend how to reduce water use from 140 liters to 110 liters per person per day by 2055.

‘We need to discourage people from using power showers,’ he said.

He continued: ‘Because we live in a wet country and there is a perception that we are surrounded by seas. [the threat of water shortages] ‘It’s not affecting the public consciousness enough… The public really needs to be interested in this.’

Droughts are only declared over when water levels are fully restored, and Britain has seen below-average rainfall in eight out of 10 months so far this year; Only January and September recorded above-average rainfall.

The country received only 83 percent of average rainfall from January to October, experiencing the driest spring in 132 years and the hottest summer in history.

The Environment Agency said the situation remained ‘unsafe’ despite recent rainfall.

If the winter is drier than normal, much or all of the country will face drought by next spring, with cyclone bans, impacts on crops and wildlife, and the risk of wildfires as the summer progresses.

Dry conditions also increase the risk of flash floods when it rains, as dry soils struggle to absorb heavy downpours and water runs off, causing floodwaters.

Tornado bans in Yorkshire and parts of the south-east could last into winter following one of the driest springs on record and low reservoir levels. Image: Low water levels impact Woodhead Reservoir

Brown told the House of Lords’ environment and climate change select committee that the new reservoirs were expected to cover only 40 per cent of the shortfall. Image: Low water levels at Baitings Reservoir

The warning comes as the Met Office predicts heavy rain through Saturday, but says there is a higher than normal chance of drought for the three months from November to January, which could cause drought conditions to worsen further.

Environment Agency water manager Helen Wakeham said: ‘If we don’t get consistent rainfall over the winter there will be drought next year.

‘The severity of the drought will depend on both the weather and the actions we take over the winter following this dry year.

‘People have been amazing this summer to use a little less water and comply with restrictions in some parts of the country.

‘I encourage people to continue to be as efficient as possible in their water use, even if it’s raining outside this winter. ‘Our wildlife, our rivers and our public water supplies depend on it.’

The Environment Agency is urging water companies to continue communicating with their customers to help them use less water and continue their efforts to reduce leakage.

Farmers should consider adjusting cropping patterns to include more drought-tolerant crops or varieties that need less irrigation, refilling reservoirs as quickly as possible, and working with neighbors to share water and water rights, it said.

The agency outlined three scenarios for winter precipitation (if water supplies refill before the summer months) and what they would mean for the public, farmers and the environment.

If England receives an average amount of rainfall over the winter, all parts of the country will be in normal or improving conditions by March 2026, except for parts of Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire that will still remain in long-term dry conditions.

If this happens, public water supplies will fully recover, the canal network will return to full strength, but there may be some lasting effects on nature, including a poor breeding season for amphibians.

But if the country receives only 80% of the average rainfall expected over the winter, all regions except Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire, and Cumbria and Lancashire will be in drought or prolonged dry weather conditions by March 2026.

In an even drier scenario, where the UK receives only 60% of its average rainfall for the winter, all parts of the country would face drought by spring 2026 due to cyclone bans, reduced water used to irrigate crops, impacts on sports facilities and the potential for ‘permanent’ environmental damage.

Will Lang, chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said: ‘Although it is not possible to predict the weather with any accuracy for the next three months, the chances of a dry spell are higher than usual.

‘A more average three-month period for rain is still the most likely scenario.

‘It is important to note that rainfall patterns in the UK can be variable; ‘Therefore, some will receive more precipitation while others will see less precipitation, possibly providing limited relief from long-standing dry conditions.’

Water minister Emma Hardy said the Government would continue to work with the National Drought Group and water companies to maintain water supplies to communities across the country.

‘Climate change means we will face more frequent, severe droughts and floods in the coming years.

‘That’s why this government is taking decisive action to secure our long-term water resilience, including building nine new reservoirs and investing in new pipes to reduce leakage,’ he said.