Drought has been declared in the West and East Midlands after the National Drought Group met today.
Dry weather is set to continue and is affecting water resources across England, requiring water companies to take action to manage demand.
Since the group last met on 5 June, the situation has deteriorated, with further areas including the West and East Midlands now officially in drought and three more areas moved into prolonged dry weather status including Lincs and Northants, East Anglia and Thames area.
A hosepipe ban is set to be introduced from 22 July by Thames Water following a period of prolonged dry weather in the area.
Across England, rainfall was 20% lower than the long-term average for June, which was also the hottest on record for England, with two heatwaves driving unusually high demand for water.
Reservoir levels continue to fall, with overall storage across England at 75.6% and at 53.8% in Yorkshire, necessitating a Temporary Use Ban.
The National Drought Group heard that without further substantial rain, some water companies may need to implement further drought measures.
“This has been the driest start to the year since 1976, and we need to make sure our water supplies can sustain us through the summer,” said Helen Wakeham, Environment Agency director for water and National Drought Group chair. “Today I have asked all the partners who make up the National Drought Group to step up their operational response to manage the drought and use water wisely.
“Environment Agency teams are out on the ground actively monitoring river levels and working to ensure there is enough water for the people and the environment.”
Read more: Farmers urged to conserve water and supplies as dry weather bites
The EA has said it will ensure water companies follow drought management plans and that they will need to step up their work to fix leaks and adjust their operations to conserve water.
The public is being asked to think about how they use water at home and in the garden, and the agency has warned that farmers are facing “a range of agricultural challenges due to the dry weather”.
“I have asked the National Drought Group to step up its response to ensure we are successfully managing the impacts of ongoing dry weather,” said Emma Hardy, water minister. “Water companies must now take action to follow their drought plans – I will hold them to account if they delay.
“We face a growing water shortage in the next decade. That’s why we are pushing ahead with urgent water reforms under our Plan for Change, which includes £104bn of private investment to build nine reservoirs and new pipes to cut leaks.”
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