Sir John Armitt has called for cross-party support for long-term water infrastructure investment, warning that England needs more water storage capacity as the country faces increasing pressure from drought and extreme weather. He said addressing future water shortages required a three-pronged approach: increasing storage capacity, reducing leakage and lowering water consumption. These follow earlier restrictions introduced by South East Water in Kent, Southern Water in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Anglian Water, South West Water in parts of Devon and Dorset, Affinity Water and Cambridge Water. He added that while government policy had changed, reservoir schemes remained long-term infrastructure projects. During the BBC interview, Armitt called for an independent body to oversee long-term infrastructure planning.