WATER bosses want to pump more water out of the River Medway to try and fill up a drought-hit reservoir.

Southern Water has applied to the Environment Agency for a new drought permit to take extra water out of the river to refill Bewl Water at Lamberhurst, near Tunbridge Wells.

Kent’s biggest reservoir is currently around two-thirds full but Southern wants to keep it topped up this winter to have more water in reserve in case there’s another drought next spring and summer.

At times levels at Bewl, built in 1975, have fallen to just one third of its 31,000 million litre capacity.

Under the current abstraction licence, Southern Water is allowed to take water from the River Medway as long as there is more than 275 million litres of water left in the river each day.

But the new drought permit application – submitted last week – seeks permission to take more water from the River Medway, down to a level of 150 million litres of water in the river each day.

A similar permit was granted by the Environment Agency last winter.

Meyrick Gough, Southern Water’s water planning and strategy manager, said: “We are applying for this permit as a prudent approach to maintain supplies in the event of a delay in, or lack of, rainfall this autumn and winter.

“By refilling Bewl reservoir as quickly as we can, we will allow our underground water sources, which supply 70 per cent of our water in Kent, time to replenish and recover before the summer as well as ensure that the reservoir is as full as possible.”