One of England's worst-hit reservoirs keeps dropping despite the wettest week in two years, with up to 10 dry days now forecast
England had its wettest week in two years as storms Austen and Boelo brought an average of 55mm of rain, but much of the country is still in drought, with severe drought across parts of the south-west and Sussex. Sussex's Ardingly reservoir is 19% full, the Guardian reports, and experts say well above normal winter rainfall is needed to end the drought.
Left 0 · Centre-left 2 · Centre 2 · Centre-right 2 · Right 1
ContextSources by leanVideoDeep diveFollow the moneyMore coverage
How each side framed it
Left-leaning outlets
Reservoirs still low: 'residents on edge as one of England’s worst-hit reservoirs dries up' (The Guardian).
Centre outlets
Centre-rated outlets headline it: “England needs 120% of normal rainfall to come out of drought this winter – storms won’t fix that yet” (The Conversation); “Severe drought: How close are we to running out of water?” (BBC News).
Right-leaning outlets
Rain arrives: 'Storm-hit England suffers wettest week in two years' (The Telegraph).
Context
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Sources by lean
Balanced: the same number of articles from the left, the centre and the right (up to 3 each). The bar above still counts every rated outlet we found. Bias and factual ratings come from Media Bias/Fact Check. How we balance · All ratings.
Left 2
Centre 2
Right 2
Showing 2 from each side of 7 rated outlets (L 2 / C 2 / R 3). Capped at 2 because that is all we found on the thinnest side. More coverage
Video
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Deep dive
A short prompt for thinking it through. We write a fuller side-by-side deep dive for the day's biggest stories.
The paradox: Record rain falls while reservoirs keep emptying.
What each side may be protecting: Left: water security and rivers. Right: households and farms facing hosepipe bans.
A question to hold: Shared question: how much rain needs to soak into land rather than run off?
Try it: open one left and one right article in Sources by lean and note what each takes for granted.
Follow the money
Not yet researched. We haven't yet looked at who gains or loses financially from this story, or who funds the main voices on each side. When we do, we check company filings, the Electoral Commission donations register, lobbying registers, annual reports, InfluenceMap and OpenSecrets, and we apply the same checks to every side. How we follow the money.
Who owns or funds the outlets covering this story (7 outlets)
| Outlet | Lean | Ownership & funding (MBFC) |
|---|---|---|
| The Guardian | Centre-left | The Guardian and its companion publication, the Sunday newspaper The Observer, are owned by Guardian Media Group plc (GMG). Scott Trust Limited was created in 1936 to ensure the editorial independence of the publications and owns Guardian Media Group plc (GMG). source |
| The Independent | Centre-left | The Independent is owned by Independent Print Limited, a company owned by the Lebedev family (Alexander Lebedev and his son Evgeny Lebedev). In 2017, Saudi Businessman Sultan Muhammad Abuljadayel bought a 30% stake in the Independent online newspaper. Advertising and subscription generate revenue for the paper..push({}); source |
| BBC News | Centre | The BBC operates under a Royal Charter. Oversight is managed by the BBC Board, and regulatory authority rests with Ofcom. source |
| The Conversation | Centre | The Conversation websites are held by the not-for-profit educational charity owned by The Conversation Trust. The Conversation is funded by the university and research sector, government, and business..push({}); source |
| Evening Standard | Centre-right | The newspaper is majority-owned by Russian businessman and former KGB agent Alexander Lebedev and the Daily Mail and General Trust. Revenue is generated through advertising. source |
| ITV News | Centre-right | No ownership data found |
| The Telegraph | Right | Telegraph Media Group (TMG) owns The Telegraph, which is owned by Press Acquisitions Ltd., which in turn is owned by Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay. In 2004, Twin Brothers Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay acquired the Daily Telegraph and the Sunday Telegraph from the Canadian media company Hollinger Inc. for £665 million. For a complete list of Board members, see here. source |