内容摘要：But Labour could also lose mayors and there's no such excuse in what was one of their safest seats,

But Labour could also lose mayors and there's no such excuse in what was one of their safest seats,

But the charity said this was a "stop gap" and it could not continue "to shoulder the full financial burden" because, if recent dry weather continued, it could cost up to £100,000 a week to remedy.Welsh Water said it was pleased the agreement did not incur costs for customers or risk drinking water.

Water will start being taken from the Usk Reservoir between Brecon and Llandovery from the early hours of Saturday.The charity said the cost would vary depending on rainfall and therefore river levels, but warned if current conditions persist, "it's likely we'll be paying as much as £100,000 per week".It said it had diverted money away from planned maintenance and repairs to secure "a stop gap water supply".

It added this would have consequences for the its programme of maintenance and was therefore a "risk" for the England and Wales canal network.The difficulties facing the canal were first outlined in a letter sent to local businesses by Glandŵr Cymru, the Canal and River Trust in Wales, in February.

It explained the 225-year old canal, which once transported iron and coal to Newport docks, had relied on funnelling water from the River Usk and its tributaries, which accounted for between 80% and 90% of its water supply.

Recent changes in legislation, designed in part to protect rivers in the face of climate change, mean licences are now required, restricting the amount of water that can be taken.“Even if we got involved in the war this would be a path to escalation. Why? Because you, the Anglo-Saxons, would immediately say that another country had got involved on one side... so Nato troops would be deployed to Ukraine.”

I ask him whether Vladimir Putin has ever asked Lukashenko to provide Belarussian troops for the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine.“Never. Neither he, nor [former Defence Minister] Sergei Shoigu, nor the current Defence Minister Andrei Belousov has ever raised that question.”

But Belarus has played a part in Russia’s war. In February 2022 Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine was launched, partly, from Belarusian territory. Why did the country’s leader allow the Kremlin to do that?“How do you know I gave permission for Belarusian territory to be used?” Lukashenko asks me.