Lundy island faces evacuation threat as drought drains water reserves

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 12 Oct, 14:57 · Archive

The Bristol Channel island of Lundy, home to 28 people, faces potential evacuation after no significant rain since May has left water tanks at critically low levels.

Lundy, a three-mile-long island in the Bristol Channel ten miles off the coast of Devon, faces potential evacuation as a dry summer has left it critically short of water. No significant rain has fallen since the start of May. The island's water tanks fell to 13 per cent capacity, enough to sustain the island's 28 residents and operations for only one week.

The island relies on rainwater collection and five boreholes. Water is collected in tanks near the harbour and then pumped to storage tanks and a purification plant near the old lighthouse. According to The Guardian, the island's topography—a granite outcrop rising from the Bristol Channel—means rain clouds tend to split as they approach, leaving Lundy dry while the mainland and Wales receive rain.

Restrictions have been imposed to conserve water. Residents have resorted to not flushing toilets, visitor numbers have been limited, the campsite has closed, bath plugs have been removed from holiday lets, and the toilets at the Marisco Tavern pub have been shut. A breakthrough came when Pondsbury, a freshwater pool on the island, was certified safe for consumption. Some 12,000 litres are now extracted daily from it, raising water reserves to 22.5 per cent. A new 300,000-litre storage tank has been commissioned to improve the island's resilience.

How it is being reported

• British Island could be evacuated and visitors capped as critical water shortage leaves locals unable to flush toiletsA British Isle could be evacuated after a dry summer has left it with a major water shortage. The island of Lundy, just 10 miles off the coast of Devon, has been gripped by a severe water crisis. Lundy, which relies on rainwater and five boreholes, has not experienced any significant rainfall since the start of May. The result has seen the island's water reserves plummet to perilously low levels. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say Lundy's population of 28 people face the risk of evacuation, with locals even resorting to not flushing the toilet in an attempt to save water. Authorities have been…GB News · 12 Oct, 14:38
• Rapid showers and no flushing toilets: drought pushes Lundy island to the brinkA dry summer has left the Bristol Channel island critically short of water, forcing visitor caps and talk of evacuating its 28 residents Tom Carr was peering up at the clouds scudding around the island of Lundy , 10 miles off the coast of north Devon. “That one’s definitely got rain in it,” he said. “The mainland will be wet at the moment. And look over at Wales – it’s getting a real soaking just now.” But above Lundy the sky was, stubbornly, blue. No significant rain has fallen here since the start of May, leading to perilously low water levels. Restrictions have been put in place, visitor…The Guardian · 11 Oct, 13:00

In this story: Lundy · Devon · Bristol Channel · Wales · Tom Carr · Matt Scantlebury

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