Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of reservoir levels at Grafham Water on available water resources.

The Environment Agency (EA) has confirmed with Anglian Water that Grafham Water reservoir is 76% full as of the 19th of August, lower than preferred for this time of year. Rainfall in July saw previous high consumer demand return to more normal levels. Anglian Water are best placed to comment on their ability to service their customers but have assured the EA that they are following their Drought Plan actions, including sharing water efficiency messages and preparing for potential restrictions (for example, Temporary Use Bans) if required. The EA is working with Anglian Water to consider options for refilling the reservoir over the winter months. Due to low river water levels within some of the river systems in East Anglia, some private abstractors are currently unable to abstract water, as set out within their individual licenses. However, Grafham Water operates to supply only Anglian Water consumers and is not subject to the same license restrictions.