The chief executive of a water company has warned that restrictions could be put in place this summer as the Environment Agency (EA) says the UK could face a drought.
Chris Weston, who’s been in charge of Thames Water since last year, said the company is doing ‘all we need to’ to prepare for potential water shortages.
Three years ago the firm came ‘dangerously close’ to running out of water for its 16million customers during record summer heatwaves.
And now the EA says we could see droughts again this summer after the driest start to spring in England for 69 years.
England has had its driest March since 1961, and April only had about half of its normal rainfall, the agency said.
Although there aren’t any areas currently in drought conditions, the EA warns there is a ‘medium risk’ of drought this summer if we don’t see sustained rainfall.
Speaking to MPs on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, Mr Weston said: ‘At the moment, from what I can see, we have learned the lessons from the situation in 2022 and we are doing all we need to do at the moment to prepare for water shortages.
‘I hope that is not necessary.
‘I am confident we won’t run out of water, I’m not confident we won’t have to restrict usage, because that will depend on what the weather does and what rainfall happens between now and the summer.’
There currently aren’t any UK water providers planning hosepipe bans for the summer, but the EA says companies might need to bring in restrictions in the coming months.
The agency is working with farmers to help make sure they can keep watering their plants.
At Thames Water, Mr Weston says the company is making sure assets are available, reservoirs are as full as possible, and that critical maintenance is carried out ‘so we are as prepared as best we can be for a drought’.
Speaking last week, Water Minister Emma Hardy said: ‘Our water infrastructure is crumbling after years of underinvestment.
‘Water companies must go further and faster to cut leaks and build the infrastructure needed to secure our water supply.
The government has secured over £104billion of private sector investment to fund essential infrastructure, including nine new reservoirs to secure our future water supply into the decades to come.’
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During the same committee hearing, Mr Weston defended accepting a huge £195,000 bonus only three months into his job.
He says he ‘did make a difference’ during his first three months in the role at the struggling water company.
The company, which is about £16billion in debt, has come under intense scrutiny in recent months and was handed a £3billion loan earlier this year to stop it completely running out of money.
Mr Weston says he ‘helped stabilise the company’ within his first couple of months on the job, despite being the fifth chief executive in five years.
He explained: ‘I started to put in place the new organisational structure, I started to give people confidence and reassurance about how proud they could be of the job they did and what we were setting out to do.
‘I was the fifth chief executive in five years – that creates a confusion for people in the company.
‘I think it required clearer direction, which I have given. 16 months in I’m quite pleased with the progress we’re making.
‘It is a big ship to turn around. It is very difficult.’
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