Wimbleball Reservoir on Exmoor, which supplies water to more than 300,000 homes and businesses across the South West, is now only a third full, prompting concern that Britain is failing to maintain and invest in the infrastructure needed to keep the country running.
No new reservoir has been built in Britain for 23 years, even as the population has grown by more than 10 million people. At the same time, water companies lose an estimated 3 billion litres of treated water every day through leaks — enough to fill Wimbleball a hundred times each week.
“This isn’t just about one reservoir,” said James Wright, an Exmoor farmer and policy campaigner. “It’s a warning sign of how our country has stopped building the basics. Endless quangos and red tape mean it can take a decade just to approve something as simple as a reservoir.”
Mr Wright visited Wimbleball this week to film a short video showing the scale of the problem. As a farmer and technology entrepreneur who has campaigned for rural investment and productivity, he described the low water level as “a visible reminder of national decline”.
“If we can’t secure something as fundamental as clean water, how can we expect businesses to invest, create jobs and raise wages?” he said. “Reservoirs, power stations and railways are the backbone of a growing nation. It’s time to get a grip and start building again.”
The reservoir’s levels have fallen sharply after one of the driest late summers on record, raising fears over long-term supply resilience in the South West. Local residents have already faced repeated hosepipe bans and growing concern about future shortages.
Wright’s video, filmed standing on the exposed bed of the lake, has been widely shared online and has reignited debate over the need for new infrastructure to secure Britain’s future.
