England needs new reservoirs or food supplies will be at risk, warns NFU chief

Farming leader Minette Batters says government needs to take action to tackle worsening water shortages

New reservoirs are needed across England to cope with increasingly severe water shortages that are putting the UK at risk of not being able to grow the food consumers require, farming leader has warned.

Minette Batters, the president of the National Farmers’ Union of England and Wales, said failure to manage the country’s water adequately was creating problems for farmers and threatening food supplies.