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A British Isle could be evacuated after a dry summer has left it with a major water shortage.
The island of Lundy, just 10 miles off the coast of Devon, has been gripped by a severe water crisis.
Lundy, which relies on rainwater and five boreholes, has not experienced any significant rainfall since the start of May.
The result has seen the island’s water reserves plummet to perilously low levels.
Lundy’s population of 28 people face the risk of evacuation, with locals even resorting to not flushing the toilet in an attempt to save water.
Authorities have been forced to cap visitor numbers and impose stringent restrictions on water usage across the three-mile-long island, renowned for its puffin colonies and colourful history of piracy.
The popular campsite has shut, bath plugs have been taken out of holiday lets, and the toilets at the Isle’s pub, the Marisco Tavern, have been closed.
Water tanks hit a low of just 13 per cent of their capacity – only enough to keep the island going for one week – with tonnes of water being brought over to the island to top up the supply.
A lifeline emerged when Pondsbury, a freshwater pool on the island, was certified as safe for consumption. Some 12,000 litres have since been extracted daily, lifting reserves to 22.5 per cent.
But that source, too, is now drying up.
A new 300,000-litre storage tank has been commissioned as part of efforts to bolster the island’s resilience.
A desalination facility – which would filter seawater, of which Lundy has in abundance, into drinkable water – has also been mooted.
However, this could prove costly.
Some have even resorted to catching the water following a quick shower, so they can use it to flush the toilet.
Conservation farmer Tom Carr attributed the crisis to a combination of shifting weather patterns and the island’s geography.
“Climate change is here, it’s happening,” he told The Guardian.
“We’re having hotter, drier summers. And when the rain clouds do come in, they tend to split as they approach the island and we stay dry.”
Meanwhile, Tristan Howes, Lundy’s engineer, stressed: “A dripping tap can lose a lot of water.”
A burst pipe, he told the outlet, would be catastrophic.
“It’s about being as efficient as we can,” Mr Howes said.
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