Drought has been declared in the West and East Midlands as dry weather continues to “impact water resources across England”, with the Environment Agency warning the situation could worsen without substantial rainfall.
The National Drought Group (NDG) stepped up its operational response on Tuesday following England’s driest start to the year since 1976. The declaration means five regions of England are now officially in drought, with millions more households facing potential hosepipe bans in coming weeks.
Helen Wakeham, the Environment Agency’s director for water and NDG chair, said immediate action was needed to conserve supplies. “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,” she said.
Regions Join Drought List
The West and East Midlands join Yorkshire, Cumbria and Lancashire, and Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire, which were already in drought status. Three more areas – Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, East Anglia, and the Thames area – have moved into prolonged dry weather status, one step below drought.
“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,” Wakeham said. “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.”
Across England, rainfall in June was 20 per cent below the long-term average. The month was also the hottest June on record for England, with two heatwaves driving unusually high demand for water.
More Restrictions Expected
The Environment Agency expects additional water companies to follow Yorkshire Water, Thames Water and South East Water in implementing hosepipe bans. Millions of households are already subject to restrictions, with Thames Water’s ban affecting parts of Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Berkshire starting next week.
Richard Thompson, water resources deputy director at the Environment Agency, told reporters: “We certainly expect more regions to enter drought status. That could extend further, depending under a reasonable worst case scenario.”
Under the agency’s “reasonable worst case scenario” – where regions receive 80 per cent of long-term average rainfall – another five regions across central and southern England could enter drought status by September. This would include Thames Wessex, parts of the Solent and South Downs, parts of East Anglia, and Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire.
Impact on Agriculture
The drought declaration has significant implications for farmers, with the situation “deteriorating” according to Stuart Sampson, drought manager at the Environment Agency. Irrigation reservoir levels are already low, prompting concerns for the remainder of the summer growing season.
“Some farmers have been reporting poor crop quality as well as lower yields on livestock, while fears are growing over the impact that conditions could have on winter feed,” Sampson said.
Anger is growing among farmers in East Anglia who face abstraction bans preventing them from irrigating crops due to low river levels, whilst hosepipe bans have not been implemented for domestic users in the region.
Water Company Response
Declaring drought status enables the Environment Agency to increase operational activities including compliance checks on businesses that abstract water, such as manufacturers. Water companies must follow their drought management plans, which include fixing leaks, adjusting operations to conserve water, and communicating with customers.
Some water levels are at their lowest for 50 years in parts of the Midlands. Severn Trent, which supplies water across the region, said it is “finding and fixing more leaks than ever before” but urged customers to use water wisely.
The decision to declare drought is based on reservoir levels, river flows, soil moisture levels and long-term weather forecasts. Droughts are often long-term events that can start months in advance, with effects felt throughout following seasons.
Climate Change Concerns
Scientists have warned that extreme conditions are becoming more likely due to human-caused climate change. The Environment Agency warned last month that England’s water supplies could face a shortfall of six billion litres a day by 2055 without dramatic action.
Will Lang, chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said July is likely to see more changeable weather with sporadic rainfall and some hot spells. However, he added there is “no strong signal” for the longer-term outlook being either very dry or extremely wet.
Water Minister Emma Hardy said: “We face a water shortage in the next decade. That’s why the government is taking urgent steps to secure supplies into the future, as part of our Plan for Change.”
The National Drought Group, which includes government departments, regulators, water companies, farmers and conservation experts, will now meet monthly to monitor the situation. The Environment Agency has urged the public to report environmental incidents to their 24/7 hotline on 0800 80 70 60.
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