Reform UK has outlined plans to end summer hosepipe bans by accelerating the construction of new reservoirs and removing existing water reduction targets. The party, led by Nigel Farage, proposes designating every reservoir project as “nationally significant infrastructure,” allowing the government to override local planning refusals. Additionally, Reform UK intends to lower the size requirement for reservoirs to receive this status from 30 million cubic metres to 10 million cubic metres, aiming to boost water storage capacity across the country.

The party argues that Britain receives ample rainfall that currently runs off unused and that building more reservoirs would capture this water to alleviate supply shortages. Reform UK also supports expanding desalination facilities to serve as a backup during prolonged dry spells. In contrast to the government’s current target of cutting public water use by 20 percent by 2038 relative to 2019-20 levels, Reform UK plans to scrap such reduction goals entirely, allowing water companies to plan based on actual demand.

This announcement follows previous government proposals, including Labour’s May 2022 pledge to build nine new reservoirs, which have yet to be completed. Historically, successive governments have resisted large-scale reservoir projects citing environmental concerns. The last major reservoir completed in England dates to 1992, and a £6.6 billion mega-reservoir project near Abingdon was halted by the coalition government in 2011 due to a lack of immediate necessity. That project, which would supply water to over 15 million people, remains without planning permission and would not be operational until around 2040 if approved.

Water companies are currently required under the Water Resources Planning Guidelines to consider how reservoir developments contribute to meeting national water reduction targets. However, the Environment Agency has warned of a looming shortfall in public water supply, estimating a potential deficit of five billion litres per day by 2055 if remedial actions are not implemented. Water restrictions affecting millions have been imposed this summer, with companies such as Affinity Water, Anglian Water, Thames Water, and others enacting hosepipe bans to manage dwindling supplies amid low rainfall.

A Reform UK spokesperson attributed current shortages to infrastructure pressures caused by population growth, criticizing existing environmental protections that, in their view, prioritize wildlife over household water availability. The party’s proposals seek to expedite reservoir construction by cutting through environmental regulations and local opposition, asserting that such measures are necessary to prevent future water shortages.

Both the Labour Party and the Conservative Party were contacted for comment but had not responded.