2026: Week 34 - Carnival, Heatwaves and Water Leaks
Well, what a summer it has been!
The past six weeks have been busier than I could have imagined, especially as Parliament was in recess. I have held 17 “pop-up” surgeries throughout my summer safari, attended over 25 visits to events, community venues and groups, and areas where residents were experiencing issues. I also found the time to judge the Town Crier competition held at Dawlish Carnival; it was an honour to be invited and such an amazing experience to see so many criers in full flow, many of whom had travelled some distance to take part.
Alongside this I have held my usual MP surgeries, attended meetings about a variety of topics both in person and online, I even managed to see my family on occasion!
We can’t talk about this summer without mentioning the many heatwaves that have occurred across the country, and to acknowledge the difficulties that these have caused, not only for people, many of whom really struggle in extreme temperatures, but also the evidence that our country is not currently equipped to manage and cope with such high temperatures and prolonged dry spells.
We cannot ignore the devastating effects that Climate Change is having across the world. With Parliament returned, I will be calling on the Government to commit to real change to ensure that this country can be prepared for future heatwaves and droughts. It is not good enough to claim that as a country we are doing all we can to transition to clean, renewable energy, whilst refusing to rule out new licenses for drilling for oil in the North Sea.
Alongside this I have been horrified to learn about the huge amount of water lost through leaks on the South West Water network. During 2024/25, they lost an astonishing 107.8 million litres of water per day. Their neglected infrastructure is in urgent need of repairs across the region, and this must not come at a cost to the bill payers. It is simply not acceptable that shareholders are reaping large profits whilst ordinary people are left to pick up the bill.
As the climate continues to change, and heatwaves become commonplace, I will be calling on the Government to include measures to reduce leaks in the forthcoming Water (Special Measures) Bill. With 39,347 million litres of water lost due to leaks by South West Water last year, tackling those leaks would go a long way in improving the resilience of the water sector, and helping to mitigate future shortages.
Now that I’m back in Westminster, I’ll be reflecting on the many conversations I have had with local residents throughout the summer weeks, and continuing to advocate for Newton Abbot, Dawlish, Teignmouth, Kingsteignton and all the surrounding villages in our beautiful constituency.
As always, if you need to contact me for any reason, the best way is via email: Martin.Wrigley.MP@Parliament.UK
Photo credit: Dawlish Celebrates Carnival