Water will be piped to save drought-hit east England
Water will be piped from the West Midlands to the drought-hit east under a plan being drawn up by Severn Trent to transfer 30 million litres every day.
Water will be piped from the West Midlands to the drought-hit east under a plan being drawn up by Severn Trent to transfer 30 million litres every day.
The company is working with Anglian Water to discover how the water can be diverted, starting as early as June.
That would be enough to supply 100,000 homes in the Anglian Water region, helping to ease the burden on reservoirs running short.
The Government last night declared parts of the east of England to officially be in drought conditions.
But reservoir levels to the west of the country are well stocked, leading for calls from the farming industry for a 'national grid' of pipes to ensure that water can flow from areas of plenty to those that are short.
Severn Trent has already started work on how water can be transferred east from the West Midlands.
It says a new network of pipes is not needed, but that existing pipes can be linked nationally using a series of 'interconnectors'.
It intends to transfer water 80 miles from Birmingham to Newark to help Anglian Water.
David Essex, water strategy manager for Severn Trent said "Discussions are under way and this could happen as early as June. By the early spring we will be in a position where we know how much we will be able to support our neighbouring water companies.
"The movement of water to Newark could be the first example of emergency water trading and a sign of things to come."