Droughts: East of England
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the press release entitled EA steps up dry weather prep after driest spring start since 1956, published on 7 May 2025, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed Bedford-Milton Keynes Waterway Park on managing drought in the East of England.
Answered by Emma Hardy
The Environment Agency (EA) are working closely with the Bedford-Milton Keynes Waterway Park Trust, and other stakeholders including Water Resources East, to consider the benefits and opportunities for water management in the local area and across the East of England. Ongoing discussions are considering navigation, flood risk, biodiversity, and water resources. Through these partnership discussions the EA will be looking to maximise opportunities for improving the local management of water.
Whilst we have seen a dry Spring the water situation in Bedfordshire is currently assessed as ‘normal’. Environment Agency teams are closely monitoring the situation, managing water availability with licensed abstractors and are on standby to respond to reports of environmental incidents.
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