IT seems that the impoverished water companies think it would be too expensive to create a national pipeline to get water from the soggy North West down to the arid South East.

In fact they have stated it would be “10 times more expensive” than building a huge desalination plant down south.

So, are they going to build a plant? Unlikely, I guess, as it costs nothing to impose a ban.

In addition to stopping the masses of leaks that are contributing to the drought and are unaffected by a hosepipe ban, perhaps the water companies and the Government should look again at the United Kingdom Government Pipeline and Storage System, which, as the Government has cut the Nato-committed RAF to the bone, is probably not doing very much at the moment.

Perhaps it would be cheaper to convert or integrate that into a water pipe system?

And while I’m at it, there’s a nationwide network of canals, is there not? What prevents them being used as an open pipeline, perhaps with solar-powered pumping stations as needed, sending water from the north to the south. After all, reservoirs feed canals, why not reverse the process? A nice ‘green’ option.

In the meantime, the HS2 rail line is going ahead at a cost of £32bn. Clearly, this particular folly will only benefit the small number of people who will be able to afford a ticket, as opposed to the millions of ‘proles’ who would benefit from an assured water supply.

I’m afraid the “ignore it and it will go away” attitude to drought planning is no longer acceptable.

The authorities must pull their respective fingers out and actually do something constructive. Something that will benefit millions of us – not just a select few.

GEOFF MILLWARD, Windmill Avenue, Bicester