Environment Agency warns England could face 6 billion litre daily water shortfall by 2055

The Environment Agency has warned that England could face a daily shortfall of 6 billion litres of water by 2055 if urgent action is not taken, in this week's update to the National Framework for Water Resources¹. The figure covers 5 billion litres a day for public water supply and 1 billion litres a day needed by key sectors including energy, food production and new technologies¹. Waterwise, the independent water efficiency body, reported the warning on 19 June 2025¹.

Waterwise describes the 5 billion litre per day public supply shortfall as a third of current daily usage¹. It says 60% of the water gap must be met by managing demand, including reducing leakage and increasing water efficiency¹. The Environment Agency's recommendations, as set out by Waterwise, include rolling out 10 million smart meters, introducing mandatory water efficiency labelling for appliances such as dishwashers, showers and toilets, and designing new developments for low water use¹. Water company plans include nine new desalination schemes, 10 new reservoirs and seven new water recycling schemes by 2050, and pledges to cut leakage by 17% in the next five years and by 50% by 2050¹.

A separate campaign page published by Wiltshire and Swindon Prepared gives a lower figure, stating that if nothing changes England could face a daily shortage of over 5 billion litres of water by 2055². It says most people in England use nearly 140 litres a day and that each person needs to save about 28 litres daily, all year round². It attributes the pressure to climate change, with drier summers and heavier winter rain making it harder for rivers and reservoirs to refill, and says using too much water harms the environment and wildlife and can make droughts last longer².

Waterwise's head of policy and research, Jo Osborn, said 2055 "might sound far off, but it really isn't", and that over half of the deficit is earmarked to be met by reducing water use and leakage¹.

Why it matters for households

The warning concerns public water supply across England, with the shortfall projected for 2055 on current trends². Waterwise says the average person on a meter uses 122 litres a day compared with 171 litres without one, and that smart meters are intended to help households monitor use and catch leaks early¹. It advises checking for a leaky toilet, which it says can silently waste hundreds of litres a day, and letting a lawn go golden in summer rather than using a hosepipe or sprinkler, which it says use 1,000 litres an hour¹. The Wiltshire and Swindon campaign lists cutting a shower by two minutes to save 28 litres, using a washing up bowl instead of a running tap to save 10 litres a minute, fixing a leaky loo to save up to 400 litres a day, and using eco-mode on appliances to save 10 litres per wash². Households with a private water supply can find guidance in our page on what to do if your private water supply dries up, and general guidance is in our water hub and heatwaves and drought hub.

What happens next

Waterwise said it hopes the Cunliffe Review, due to be published later in summer 2025, will highlight more on water efficiency action¹. The full National Framework for Water Resources 2025 is published on the Environment Agency website¹.