Free water bowsers on offer from Severn Trent
Kevin Hatch with water bowser © Severn Trent Livestock farmers in Worcestershire and Gloucestershire are being offered free mobile water bowsers by Severn Trent as pressure grows on farm water supplies during increasingly dry conditions.
The water company is making 200 bowsers available across the two counties, with dairy farms given priority.
Each 1,100-litre unit is intended to help farms improve water storage capacity ahead of future dry spells or supply disruptions.
See also: Droughts and floods: Double challenge for farmers everywhere
The initiative follows a similar scheme rolled out in Shropshire, Staffordshire and Derbyshire last year during what Severn Trent described as one of the driest summers on record.
Kevin Hatch, from Severn Trent’s network operations team, said the aim was to provide “dependable, on-farm water storage” for livestock producers.
“Our aim is to get the 1,100-litre bowsers to the farmers who need them most, providing dependable, on-farm water storage to help maintain supply for livestock for future dry spells or water emergencies,” he said.
The bowsers, previously part of Severn Trent’s emergency fleet, are being redistributed as the company upgrades to larger-capacity equipment.
They will be cleaned, labelled and supplied empty for non-potable use.
Water storage requirements
Mr Hatch said the scheme could help livestock farmers meet the requirement to maintain at least 24 hours of water storage for animals year-round.
Eligible farms must be within the Severn Trent catchment and keep dairy cattle, poultry, sheep, beef cattle or pigs.
Farmers will need to provide details, including herd or flock size and any past water supply issues, when applying.
Applications for a free water bowser close on 31 May, and successful applicants will be allocated collection slots at designated Severn Trent sites.
House of Lords calls for action on water
The move comes as a House of Lords committee warns that England’s water supplies are under increasing strain from climate change, population growth, leakage, and rising industrial demand.
In a report published on Thursday 21 May, the cross-party Environment and Climate Change Committee said the UK needed to improve how it stores, manages and reuses rainwater to reduce the risks of both drought and flooding.
To strengthen England’s water security, the committee urged the government to:
- Improve drought monitoring and data collection
- Encourage water-saving measures and rainwater reuse
- Make it easier for farms and other sectors to build local water storage reservoirs
- Publish a long-term emergency drought plan by autumn 2026 alongside wider use of nature-based solutions.
Baroness Sheehan, chairman of the committee, said if action is not taken now, public water demand could exceed supply by 5bn litres every day.
“As a result, serious thought, planning and investment must go into managing the environmental and economic threats that drought poses to England.”