The Daily Telegraph

WWF urges water meter in every home as rivers dry up

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Britain’s rivers are at risk of drying out because too much water is being pumped out, the WWF has said as it calls for water meters in every home.

More than 550 bodies of water in England and Wales are being “over-abstracted”, affecting rivers and chalk streams such as the Itchen in Hampshire, and London’s River Cray, figures from Freedom of Informatio­n requests by the conservati­on charity suggest.

If too much water continues to be taken out of rivers for public supplies and agricultur­e, reducing their flows, it will affect threatened wildlife such as water voles and kingfisher­s, the WWF said.

It issued the warning as parts of the UK face the possibilit­y of drought following low winter rainfall, which the WWF said could push wildlife to the brink. The WWF called for a national strategy to reduce water waste and for “universal metering” to make paying for water fairer.

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