New polling of 4,002 UK adults finds rare cross-party consensus that Britain is running dry, with two-thirds of the public demanding urgent action and parents three times more worried than non-parents about the country’s water future

The Environment Agency projects that England faces a shortfall of around 5 billion litres of water a day by 2050 unless action is taken, more than a third of today’s total public water supply. Water security means having enough clean water to meet the needs of homes, businesses, farms and the natural environment, not just today but for decades to come. A country loses water security when demand from a growing population and new industry starts to outstrip what rivers, reservoirs and underground sources can sustainably supply.

70% of UK adults believe previous governments of all parties have failed to prioritise national water security, according to a major new survey published today. The finding cuts across every major party’s 2024 vote. 79% of Green voters, 77% of Liberal Democrat voters, 77% of Reform voters, 74% of Labour voters and 66% of Conservative voters agree. The level of cross-party consensus is rare in British polling.

The research, commissioned by Affinity Water and conducted by Thinks Insight & Strategy among a nationally representative sample of 4,002 UK adults, is published alongside Running Dry: England’s Water Security Crisis, a major policy report warning that the UK lacks a credible national strategy to meet rising demand from housing, industry and data centres. The report argues that the planning framework is treating the 5 billion litre shortfall as a modelling input rather than a strategic risk.

A public united in demanding action

The survey finds that 68% of the UK public agree urgent action is needed on water security. 56% say they are personally concerned about the UK’s water security in the future, with nearly one in five describing themselves as highly concerned. 86% want the Government to do more to raise awareness of water security, suggesting strong appetite for the issue to move up the national agenda.

Concern is not evenly distributed. Parents are three times more likely than non-parents to be highly concerned about water security, at 31% compared to 10%, suggesting sharp anxiety about the fairness of passing the costs of emergency water investment to the next generation. Younger adults are also notably more concerned than older ones, with 27% of under-35s highly concerned, against 10% of those aged 55 and over.

A crisis reaching into everyday life

The public believes the consequences of water shortages extend well beyond the tap. 68% agree future water shortages pose a serious threat to the UK’s economic stability. 64% believe the NHS is unprepared for the health emergencies that future water shortages could cause. 64% believe the UK’s rivers and countryside are at risk of being permanently damaged by drought. 60% agree the housing crisis will get worse as a lack of water stops new homes from being built.

These concerns are rooted in recent experience. By mid-2025, Temporary Use Bans were in force for nearly 9 million people in England following one of the driest springs since records began over 160 years ago. Water companies across southern, eastern and northern England activated drought plans, and the National Drought Group has since warned that England must prepare for a further drought in 2026. No major reservoir has been built in England since 1991, despite the population growing by around 18% over the same period.

Cross-party public support for tougher action

The survey tested public support for a range of policy interventions, finding strong and remarkably consistent support across party lines.

• 85% support making chemical companies pay for cleaning up so-called ‘forever chemicals’ (PFAS) that enter waterways, with support ranging from 82% of Reform voters to 89% of Liberal Democrat voters.

• 83% support fines on large corporations that fail to reduce excessive water use, with support ranging from 77% of Reform voters to 88% of Liberal Democrat voters.

• 75% support requiring new homes to be built with systems that use non-potable water, such as recycled greywater or rainwater, for flushing toilets instead of treated drinking water.

• 40% of the public go further, agreeing the Government should declare a national water emergency.

Perhaps most striking is how closely support holds across party lines. On making chemical companies pay for PFAS clean-up, Conservative voters (88%) and Green voters (81%) sit within seven points of each other. On requiring new homes to use non-potable water for toilets, majority support holds across every party tested.

The research also reveals that public concern rises sharply once people are shown the evidence. Agreement that the UK is entering a water security crisis rose from 39% at the start of the survey to 54% by the end, a 15-point swing in a single exercise. This suggests the public is not complacent about water, but under-informed. Only 27% of the public believe the UK Government is currently doing a good job of addressing water security, against 40% who actively disagree.

What Running Dry calls for

Running Dry argues that reliance on household demand reduction alone cannot close the projected 5 billion litre daily deficit, that government-promised interventions such as mandatory water-efficiency labelling and tighter building regulations have repeatedly failed to materialise, and that data centres, energy generation and industrial users remain largely outside the current planning framework. The report sets out seven recommendations under three themes. The three central asks are as follows:

• A statutory National Water Security Strategy with binding commitments and clear accountability, replacing the current patchwork of national frameworks, regional plans and company-level plans with a single authoritative document laid before Parliament.

• A planning framework that accounts for total water demand across all sectors, bringing data centres, energy generation, agriculture and industrial users within the scope of strategic planning.

• A regulatory approach that enables long-term infrastructure investment at the pace the challenge demands, moving beyond the limits of the five-year price review cycle.

The full set of seven recommendations also includes a new National Water Transfer Network, statutory status for the Regulators’ Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development, an Environmental Restoration Levy applying the polluter-pays principle across all polluting sectors, and reform of economic regulation to prioritise long-term asset health.

Steve Plumb, Director of Asset Strategy and Capital Delivery at Affinity Water, said:

“It’s clear that people across the country are starting to understand the scale of the water challenge. They know that the UK risks running out of water and they want action. They back polluters paying. They want the Government to show leadership in reducing demand, to help deliver the reservoirs and infrastructure we need, and to show the level of urgency that the challenge merits. Running Dry sets out how the Government can turn that mandate into policy before severe and prolonged droughts become more and more frequent.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. Running Dry: England’s Water Security Crisis is published by Affinity Water. The full report is available https://www.affinitywater.co.uk/docs/corporate/2026/englands-water-security-crisis.pdf

2. The survey was conducted by Thinks Insight & Strategy among a nationally representative sample of 4,002 UK adults across late October and early November 2025. Data were weighted to be nationally representative on region, ethnicity, socio-economic grade, employment status, disability and age. Significance testing was conducted at 95% confidence.

3. The cross-party voting data reflects respondents’ reported 2024 General Election vote. Unweighted base sizes for the main voting groups are Labour n=1,333, Conservative n=746, Reform UK n=503, Liberal Democrats n=320, Green Party n=180.

4. The 2025 Temporary Use Ban figure refers to bans imposed by Yorkshire Water, South East Water, Thames Water and Southern Water in July 2025, affecting nearly 9 million people. Source: Water UK, August 2025.

5. The last major reservoir completed in England was Carsington in Derbyshire in 1991.

6. The 5 billion litres per day 2050 deficit figure is drawn from the Environment Agency National Framework for Water Resources 2025.

7. Affinity Water supplies drinking water to around 3.6 million people across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, parts of North and West London, Essex, Surrey and Berkshire.

8. Full data tables, regional breakdowns and the report are available on request.

FOR REFERENCE — ALL FIGURES AT A GLANCE CAN BE VIEWED HERE: [https://www.affinitywater.co.uk/docs/corporate/2026/running-dry-englands-water-security-crisis.pdf]

Source and methodology.

Figures show NET agree, likely, concerned or support responses unless stated otherwise. The survey was conducted by Thinks Insight & Strategy among a nationally representative sample of 4,002 UK adults across late October and early November 2025. Data were weighted to be nationally representative on region, ethnicity, socio-economic grade, employment status, disability and age. Significance testing was conducted at 95% confidence.

Voting sub-sample base sizes (unweighted). Labour n=1,333, Conservative n=746, Reform UK n=503, Liberal Democrats n=320, Green Party n=180. Figures reflect respondents’ reported 2024 General Election vote.

For further information contact: Hannah Dawson - Affinity Water - hannah.dawson@affinitywater.co.uk

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