PRIVATE companies have licences to take trillions of litres of water out of rivers, lakes and aquifers a year, campaigners have warned as pressure on resources grows.

Environmental charity River Action is calling on the government today to review all abstraction licences and ensure a fully funded water resilience plan as Britain faces more frequent droughts and rising demand from a growing population and new data centres.

Hosepipe bans are in place for 23 million customers, with half of England now in drought, alongside north Wales and the Upper Severn.

Analysis of official data shows the eight water companies with bans abstract almost 14.7 billion litres daily but lose almost two billion litres through leaks.

The charity’s research reveals thousands of golf courses, drinks manufacturers and other commercial operators hold licences permitting abstraction of more than 33 trillion litres a year — enough to fill Windermere more than 107 times.

This dwarfs the 5.3 trillion litres abstracted by water companies for public supply.

River Action acknowledged many licences support essential activities, including renewable energy, food production and manufacturing, but is calling for all licences to be reviewed and updated, with clear plans to improve water efficiency across all industries.

Chief executive James Wallace said: “While millions of households face hosepipe bans, the UK still has no credible plan for securing and managing water in a hotter, drier future, even as demand continues to grow from new homes, industry and the rapid expansion of data centres.

“This isn’t about stopping essential industries from using water. It’s about bringing industries into a water-efficient future where every drop is valued and an outdated abstraction system is brought into the 21st century.”

He urged every licence to be reviewed to ensure it remains environmentally sustainable, and said water companies must be made to urgently invest in fixing leaks, building reservoirs and making homes genuinely water efficient.

Hosepipe bans are not a water efficiency strategy, he said, adding: “The public cannot be expected to carry the burden of decades of political complacency, corporate corruption and underinvestment.”

The Environment Agency said abstraction licences have “strict conditions to protect the environment and are reviewed regularly,” adding that the agency expects water companies to meet targets to halve leakage by 2050 while investing in new infrastructure.