England's Water Shortfall Threatens Farms
A combination of prolonged drought, high consumption, and infrastructure issues is pushing England toward a severe water shortage, with a projected daily
England faces a projected shortfall of five billion litres in public water supply daily by 2055. This looming crisis, driven by low rainfall, high temperatures, and rising demand, is already impacting farmers like Daniel Sizer in Suffolk, whose irrigation was halted in July by the Environment Agency to protect wildlife.
Like much of southern England, his farm had seen barely any rain in nearly three months by early August. The resulting crop damage highlights a newer, more worrying trend of frequent heatwaves and greatly reduced rainfall over successive summers.
Growing Consumption
Daily water consumption per person in England is 136.5 litres. In Denmark, the comparable figure is 97 litres per person per day, according to industry body Danva.
"We've actually doubled the amount of water we use per person, on average, in the last 50, 60 years," says Nicci Russell of Waterwise. She attributes this to changing habits, such as moving from shared weekly baths to multiple showers. Households account for nearly 60% of water use in England and Wales. Russell states that matching Danish consumption patterns would wipe out more than half of the projected 2055 shortfall.
Water companies have urged reduced use with limited success. Will Willoughby of Wessex Water acknowledges negative public perception has hampered these messages. A key difference is price. The average cost of water and wastewater in Denmark is £9.45 per cubic metre. In England, charges are significantly lower.
| Company/Region | Cost per Cubic Metre (£) |
|---|---|
| Thames Water | 4.21 |
| Southern Water | 7.06 |
Daniel Johns of Water Resources East says water in England is "too cheap," leading to assumptions it will always be available. In Denmark, price increases originally for sewage treatment led to embedded cultural savings, like school trips to waterworks and water-saving devices.
The Wrong Kind of Water
Businesses use nearly a third of England and Wales's water supply. Almost half of that business use comes from just 1% of companies. Some have received discounted rates for higher usage, a practice five of nine water companies are now phasing out.
Daniel Johns also questions if businesses use the right water grade. "At the moment, we're using world-class drinking water to cool data centres, to irrigate our golf courses," he says. He advocates banning data centres from using potable supplies, requiring closed-loop systems instead.
Problematic Pipes
Water leakage has been cut by 43% since 1989, according to regulator Ofwat. However, over 45 litres per person per day is still lost, nearly a fifth of all water in the system. Mandatory metering, as in Denmark, could help by linking usage to bills and detecting leaks on private property.
Technology offers new solutions. Company Lightsonic uses fibre optic cables near water pipes to detect leak vibrations. Chief Technology Officer James Ramsay says a three-month deployment has located over 100 leaks, saving two million litres daily. He estimates wider use could reduce leakage "by as much as a billion litres a day."
The Storage Question
Climate models predict wetter winters for England, raising the question of storing excess water. However, no major new reservoirs have been built for over 30 years. Water companies and campaigners debate the cause, with the 2025 Cunliffe review accepting both a lack of investment and regulatory blockage on spending.
Now, 10 reservoirs are planned in England by 2050. But even with these stats on consumption and leakage, the pace of change is critical. Feargal Sharkey, a water campaigner, recently dismissed company efforts to raise prices and cut household use as "nothing more than window dressing."
