Water warning for ministers

URGENT action against climate change is needed if the UK is to avoid a Mediterranean climate in years to come, a government committee is set to warn today.

The UK Government's Adaptation sub committee will tell ministers the country may need to take extreme measures, such as mandatory water meters and changing building regulations to replace the use of purified tap water with "grey water" for flushing toilets and watering gardens.

Duncan McLaren, chief executive of Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: "It is inevitable that climate change will impact lives across the UK, and we have to adapt."