He said that water is a long term industry. This is how I see things. I do not know how much it will rain this summer. Water companies have drought contingency plans which they must agree with the Environment Agency. I will stay closely in touch with the Environment Agency as the summer unfolds.
Water is a scarce national resource as well as an essential of life.
I want to keep down bills for water consumers. This will not be easy in the light of existing and impending EC Directives on water quality. So I do not want to see ill considered plans for building reservoirs - or an expensive national grid. Conservation policies must play a full role. The approach must be pragmatic and involve more reliance on demand management and more efficient use of water by all.