Grant money for farmers to tackle water shortage

A £1.38m scheme has been announced to help farmers and growers use water more efficiently and reduce pressure on the county's chalk streams.

Businesses in Cambridgeshire can apply for a grant to cover projects such as rainwater harvesting systems or improved irrigation equipment.

On Thursday, the county council's environment and green investment committee was told a shortfall in water supply was expected in the future.

Cambridge is regularly cited as being the driest city in the UK, receiving about half the national average rainfall, and the East of England is classified as being severely water stressed.

The grant funding has come from the Department of Housing, Communities and Local Government as part of its programme to facilitate growth around Cambridge.

The money could pay up to 50% of the costs for businesses, capped at £40,000 per project.

Quinton Carroll, head of natural and historic environment at the council, told the meeting that Cambridgeshire "suffers from water stress, where our water supply struggles to meet demand".

He said the scheme was designed to help farmers and growers "become more water resilient and reduce pressure on the water supply as these sectors are known to be heavy users of water".

The scheme is expected to launch on 1 June and the maximum grant available could be increased to £50,000.

Councillors at the authority - which is acting as the receiving body for the grant fund - unanimously approved endorsing the grant scheme.

The chancellor Rachel Reeves hopes to make the Oxford–Cambridge corridor the UK's "Silicon Valley" and has promised about £800m to be spent on new homes, labs and workspaces,

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