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- Image caption,
Image source, Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service
A firefighter talks a huge blaze on Dunwich Heath, Suffolk which has caused thousands to be evacuated from their homes
"We need to invest for the long term, in new water storage facilities, whether it's at the local level supporting farmers or at a large scale with the water companies themselves being allowed to build reservoirs," Sir John Armitt, former chairman of the National Infrastructure Commission, told Radio 4's Today programme on Thursday.
He said for a long time governments have resisted building new reservoirs on the basis other solutions could be found, but the recent weather extremes the UK has been experiencing "have really caught people out".
There has been no major reservoir completed in England since 1992. Sir Jon Cunliffe, former Bank of England deputy governor, reviewed the sector last year and concluded that there had been "underinvestment" - blaming both the water industry and regulators.
Sir John Armitt also said that the industry must also tackle leakage and usage.
"That's beholden on all of us to try to reduce the amount we use, and we could save a similar amount if we could get down to the levels of Denmark who use about 100 litres per person a day."
The average use per person in the UK is around 140 litres.
Water UK, which represents the industry, said at the time, in response: "Everyone agrees the system has not been working.... fundamental change has been long overdue."
There are currently two reservoirs pencilled for completion in 2036 and the 2040s, and more set to be approved.
In May last year, the government said that water companies had committed to bringing nine new reservoirs by 2050.
They would be located in Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Suffolk, Kent, East Sussex, and the West Midlands.
The government said that these reservoirs have the potential to provide 670 million litres of extra water per day.
Additional reporting by Tom Ingham, Charlotte Hadfield and Ella Kipling.
