ALARM bells have been sounded by Exmoor campaigner James Wright after water levels in Wimbleball Lake fell last week to just one-quarter.

Mr Wright, who is chairman of the South West Conservative Rural Forum, visited Wimbleball to make a short video of the scale of the problem, which has already been viewed by more than 30,000 people.

He said as a farmer and technology entrepreneur who had campaigned for rural investment and productivity, the low water level was ‘a visible reminder of national decline’.

Mr Wright said Wimbleball supplied water to more than 300,000 homes and businesses across Somerset and Devon.

The fact it was now just 26 per cent full prompted concern that Britain was failing to maintain and invest in the infrastructure needed to keep the country running.

Mr Wright said: “This is not just about one reservoir.

“It is a warning sign of how our country has stopped building the basics.

“Endless quangos and red tape mean it can take a decade just to approve something as simple as a reservoir.

“No new reservoir has been built in Britain for 23 years, even as the population has grown by more than 10 million people.

“At the same time, water companies lose an estimated three billion litres of treated water every day through leaks, enough to fill Wimbleball a hundred times each week.

“If we cannot secure something as fundamental as clean water, how can we expect businesses to invest, create jobs, and raise wages?

“Reservoirs, power stations, and railways are the backbone of a growing nation.

“It is time to get a grip and start building again.”

Wimbleball’s levels have fallen sharply after one of the driest summers on record, raising fears over long-term supply resilience in the Westcountry.

In the 2022 drought year it dipped to just 17 per cent before recovering over the winter.