THE report about the potential for water shortages is a worrying one indeed.

We take water supply for granted in this country – and coming on a freezing day like this, fears that we could face significant supply problems in the future might seem excessive.

But if there is a real risk over this precious resource then it needs to be debated and solved, rather than dismissed – even if one of the options locally is the hugely- unpopular reservoir.

The Defra report is looking at the impact of both population increase and climate change. The latter is not universely accepted as inevitable but you can bet that the population in the South East will increase dramtically.

Water is not the only scarce natural resource. The world is hugely reliant on oil, for instance, but there are new technologies that will mean we can shift away from it.

But there is no silver bullet alternative with water we could switch to (short of putting on an amusing hat, dancing in an abstract fashion on top of Carfax and praying for rain). It is all about management.

There are some hard discussions to be had because we can’t let this issue drain away.