Farmers urged to comply with rules on taking water

Climate change and population growth are raising concerns over water supplies. IMAGE: Environment Agency

Farmers are being urged to ensure private springs, wells and boreholes are legally compliant to prevent potential environmental damage.

Farm inspectors were finding "a lot of unlicensed abstraction" in Devon and Cornwall during routine inspections and 70 enforcement actions were issued over two years as a result, said the Environment Agency (EA).

The warning comes as climate change and population growth mean there will be less available water with a greater demand for it in the future, said the EA.

By 2050, the amount of water available could be down by 10 to 15%, with some rivers seeing 50 to 80% less water during the summer months, it added.

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