It's Official: South East In State Of Drought

The folks in the Sth East ought to do what we did up North years ago, build reservoirs, they're brilliant!!!

There are only a limited number of times that the politicians can be told that if they want to build more and more houses and incorporate more immigrant that additional reservoirs are required. The idea that you can put a new town on the mud flats around Beckton is one example of the stupidity that comes with becoming a political public servant and thinking that, suddenly, they are the best thing since sliced bread when it comes to bright ideas.

There was water,water everywhere but alas we didn't think.
And now, we find, through waste and greed,
There's not enough to drink.

It would help enormously if the Government of the day would use a little more aforethought and manage the population distribution of the UK via local planning after taking due consideration of the climatic conditions liable to prevail.

I can't believe people posting here are blaming the drought on immigration!! :D

I think we are being softened up for another hike in water charges.

If we didn't have so many people in this country, there woundn't be a problem.

This morning's TV stated catagorically that UK was about to suffer a drought. Funny old thing, my water butts on the allotment have been overflowing for weeks, but I live in the the NW. Seems that when 'TV world' refers to anything effecting the South/SE it's the UK, when it is up here its a minor inconvenience. I've got more water than I can deal with - In fact I can't remember in all honesty when it didn't bloody rain! - but the jobs situation is dire how about an exchange mechanism? Or maybe get the farmers to use less water, we used to produce much more with no formal watering systems on the majority of farms when I was younger - I wonder how much is taken out of our 'stored' water by factories etc and I bet they don't pay the same bloody price I pay for it either!...Time for a serious rethink.

The underlying problem here is overpopulation. This country is only a green and pleasant land for so many people. Above a certain number, it will just be concrete and desert.

The politicians are to blame - stupid short term policies of allowing huge numbers of immigrants is killing this country: lowering our wages, destroying our culture, using up our resources - not just water but hospitals, schools, services.

The reasons given for immigration are simply stupid: an aging population is inevitable and immigration actually makes all our problems much worse in the long run.

Strange how Kennet in WILTSHIRE can be used as an example of drought conditions declared in the South East - when did they move Wiltshire from the west country? Like the weather rivers change over time - some dry up, others grow bigger!
And Yes - expect this to be used as a softening up for a hike in water rates or meter charges, as a claim for drought relief is put in. There already is a basic water grid that can move excess from the north west to the south east and these drought orders enable them to put this into operation, it is only the beurocracy required to do this that you are seeing reported. De-salination is an expensive, energy intensive process, improving the water grid would be easier for now at least - who knows what will come in the future - floods in June?

read article on battersea power station being converted into 100s of apartments so where is fresh water from why not plumb in non potable water (non treated) and potable(drinking) as condition of planning then spread planning law to all new builds in high demand areas

I was taught as a young plumber that we had a water shortage 50 years ago but goverment kept mum about it, then they started installing water meters, also we have concreted to much land over so water just runs off, our population is 20 millon more it does not take any working out now does it when do we stop taking people in when we reach a 100 million I do not think our MP can count to that much they run out of fingers.

Perhaps if the water companies invested in an integrated infrastructure to pipe water from the north to the south we wouldn't have a problem. But that costs money and that means shareholders and profits being hit. I have an idea. Why not raise the prices to customers to pay for this? Have Thames water or any other water company thought of plugging all the leaks?????

Leaky pipes. No desalinization plants turning salt water into cystal clear water. I think it is referred to as 'reverse osmosis' and the Water Companies could sell of the sell to offset the costs. Global warming is melting the ice so why not use the raising sea water. It would also reduce high tidal flooding. Lets face it majority of the water we use bathing,showering, washing machine, dishwasher, toilets goes straight back to the water companies for reuse. Perhaps we should all capture our own rain water and sell it back to the water companies ala solar power to the National Grid. Trouble is the National Water Companies in some case are not even UK owned and a crisis justifies 'increasing charges.'

Here we have a recurring problem which by all accounts is simply going to get worse. Could I suggest that instead of spending billions of pounds on a marginal project such as the High Speed Link the government invest in a national water grid to move water from and too different areas. That would at least be something we know would benefit the country.

We live on an island for God's sake, build de-salination plants around the coast and pump it in, job done.

When water companies want to build new reservoirs, bu people appeal against these constructions and now we are going to suffer, people im afarid are to short sighted. We do need more reservoirs especilaly as our climate is changing slowly and the population is increasing!

Thats what happens when you let millions of immigrants in and most of them see it as their god given right to live amongst their own in London. Its hardly rocket science. I wonder if such problems crossed Blair's mind when he decided to change the face of this once great nation. If anyone can find Blair, or Brown for that matter, can they give them both a good fisting .

they had warning about this for decades when the water boards were privatised the money just goes to share holder not re-invested in to infrastructure they should of been building more reservoirs decades ago but theyll tell you its all going to cost too much money???? so what the £%£% have they been doing with there profits???

absolute bull