The summer heat waves are over, but we're still suffering from a water shortage:  Liberal Democrats call for Government action.

Lib Dem are calling for a water overhaul and farm reservoir expansion.

It may seem odd when we have had some days where it's been quite heavy rain, but because of the severe drought during the summer, parts of East Sussex were declared an area of severe drought by the Environment Agency on October the 15th, 2026. 

Liberal Democrat Rural Affairs Spokesperson, Sarah Dyke MP, said:

“Communities across Southern England are paying the price for water companies' failures to fix leaks and invest in vital infrastructure. It's a disgrace that bill payers are shouldering the consequences of decades of underinvestment, while farmers risk being unable to access the water they need to feed the nation. We cannot rely on the weather to bail us out this winter.” 

The water overhaul must sit alongside the clean up of river pollution. 

Lewes’ Liberal Democrat MP, James MacCleary, has voted in Parliament to introduce a new ‘blue flag’ status for rivers and chalk streams.

Back in 2025 Labour and Conservative MPs failed to vote for the motion, blocking it.  The Lib Dem motion would have created a new Blue Flag status for rivers and chalk streams with measures to guarantee the rivers are clean and safe to swim in. This forms part of the Party’s ‘blue corridor’ programme to clean up our waterways.