ALTHOUGH we have seen hosepipe bans in the past, it does seem difficult to believe that Britain will find itself short of water in the future.

We all know that our land is "green and pleasant" precisely because there is plenty of rain and rivers bursting their banks and flooding cities like Carlisle and York have been the big problem in recent years.

But now we are told by the UK's largest provider of independent research that the south of England - and particularly the South East - is going to suffer increasing drought problems as we in the North West get even more rain.

So, they say, our region will be well positioned to help out by exporting water which would "generate income and create a new industry".

But United Utilities has denied that we have "plentiful supplies" and says it has no plans to send water south because there are no spare resources.

This response does highlight the problem Britain has in co-ordinating its water supply situation when the industry is split into regions owned by so many different British - and foreign - companies.

These companies all have their own responsibilities within their own regions and will naturally put them first.

The government needs to produce a proper national scheme to ensure that one area doesn't go dry when there is plenty of water comparatively close by.