Hidden water use by UK businesses exposed amid drought

Less than 1% of English businesses consume more water daily than 10 million people need – yet most face no mandatory reporting or reduction targets. The Guardian's investigation reveals that businesses draw 2.6 billion litres daily from public water supplies, accounting for roughly 30% of all public supply use. Two-thirds of that consumption occurs in water-stressed areas, according to Mosl, the organisation operating England's business water market.

The reporting gap matters. While households endure hosepipe bans as drought grips three-quarters of the country, large commercial water users operate without transparency requirements. Most businesses aren't required to disclose consumption, let alone meet efficiency standards. This creates a perverse dynamic: the public faces restrictions while corporate users – including food manufacturers, breweries, and data centres – draw from the same stressed networks without accountability.

The scale is striking. A handful of unnamed companies consume what millions of people need to survive. Yet regulatory oversight remains fragmented. Water companies know their largest business customers, but public disclosure is patchy and enforcement mechanisms weak.

This isn't just an environmental issue. It's a governance failure. If ESG disclosure standards require carbon and emissions reporting, why not water consumption in water-stressed regions? Supply chain due diligence increasingly demands transparency on resource extraction; water is no different.

The question facing regulators and investors: how long before mandatory business water reporting becomes standard, and what happens to valuations of water-intensive sectors once consumption data goes public?

Revealed: how companies ‘secretly’ use billions of litres of public water in drought-hit England

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