A Thames Water boss has sent a worrying message to Londoners warning he is “not confident” there will not have to be water usage restrictions put in place this summer amid a looming risk of drought. Appearing before MPs on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee on Tuesday (May 13), Thames Water chief executive Chris Weston said preparations are being made for potential water shortages.
He promised lessons have been learned since 2022, when it was reported the firm came “dangerously close” to running out of water amid drought and record heatwaves. But while Mr Weston said he is confident the company will not run out of water, he raised the possibility of curbing customers’ water use depending on the weather in the coming weeks.
Thames Water is the UK’s biggest water company, serving 16 million customers in the South East of England, a heavily water-stressed area of the country. The Environment Agency has warned of the potential risk of drought this summer following the driest start to spring in England for 61 years.
Bosses hoping for rain in the lead up to summer
While there are currently no hosepipe bans planned, water companies might have to implement measures including restrictions in the months ahead, the regulator has warned. Mr Weston said the company is going through a process of 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”.
The business is also starting to communicate with its customers about the importance of conserving water, he added. “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,” he told MPs.
“I hope that is not necessary,” he added. “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.”
He also told MPs that Thames Water’s £250 million desalination plant, which is intended to provide drinking water supplies from seawater, will not be working this year to meet potential water shortages, in the same way it was out of order in 2022. Mr Weston labelled the facility a “bad investment”, and said he wondered why it had been built in the first place.
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