Dry spring 'is no threat to water supplies'

They say a wet winter has left reservoirs full enough to cope with anything short of a long drought.

The reassuring estimate came yesterday from the watchdog body the Consumer Council for Water.

A spokesman said, "The reservoirs are actually as full as we would expect them to be in an average year. They are vastly improved on last year.

"Reservoirs were much fuller in March than you would expect and that means it is unlikely there will be water restrictions this summer."

He added, "Clearly if it does not rain between now and August there will be problems but even given a warmer than average summer we should be in the clear."

The spokesman said the water crisis last year, which left South-east England facing one of its most serious shortages for a century, followed two dry winters in a row.

Low-flush lavatories could be a key weapon in a water-saving drive, the Environment

Agency said yesterday. It said families should be offered subsidies to replace their old toilets.

The agency also wants householders to ditch their power showers and put in low flow versions which produce a gentle spray and save more than a gallon of water every three minutes. It says measures to conserve water should include the widescale introduction of compulsory meters.

Agency chief executive Barbara Young said redesigning bathrooms could save millions of gallons of water every day across the south of England.

She said, "Each of us flushes away about a third of all the water we use - in real terms,

around five buckets a day. It makes sense to convert old toilets to flush less, or if a replacement is planned anyway, provide a subsidy to make the replacement as waterefficient as possible."

In a report on water efficiency, published yesterday, the agency said rationing supplies was better for the environment than major new projects such as reservoirs and salt water treatment plants.

Though it did not specify who should pay for new toilets, it seems likely the pressure would be on the water companies rather than the taxpayer.

The agency said the money could be offset against savings from delaying the need for new reservoirs.