Upper Thames Dried Out! Poulton Brook Dry! Marston Meysey Brook Dry! Ampney Brook Dry!

This list will soon include the river Churn if Thames Water are given permission to further increase abstraction from the Cotswold aquifers; see Drought Permit Applications sought from the Environment Agency and published in the Wilts Glos Standard, 6th October 2022.

Whilst accepting that in severe drought, water supplies must be maintained, the current shortage remains entirely of Thames Water’s making in that following a run of dry months the drought was entirely predictable. Thames Water have put in place NO effective Demand Management Strategy in the preceding months of low rainfall, which clearly indicated that a resource problem was developing. Apart from a belated hosepipe ban, which Thames Water imposed far too late at the end of the peak demand summer period there were no measures put in place by Thames Water to limit or slow demand during this critical time.

Long term the SWOX (South West Oxon) reservoir proposal has gone nowhere and Thames Water’s appalling record on leakage has not been properly addressed. Taken in the round, the lack of a Demand Management Strategy and the mis-management of water resources has led to the current emergency. It is cheaper and more convenient for Thames Water to abstract the last life blood of the Cotswold rivers rather than properly manage our precious water resources. Given Thames Water’s terrible record on sewage spills the impurities in water treated to a poor standard further reduces their ability to recycle water lower down the system. It is much cheaper for Thames Water to abstract from the aquifer, which requires less cost and more profit for their shareholders.

The Churn is currently suffering from extremely low flow and the likely effect of the Drought Order at Baunton will be another dry river bed despite Thames Water’s meaningless statements about environmental study. Further abstraction will cause immense ecological damage and the variation proposed at Meysey Hampton will limit the ability of the Ampney Brook and its tributaries to recover. These drought permits should NOT be granted by the Environment Agency.

David Reinger.

Down Ampney.