Reservoir levels across England drop to new lows after driest spring since 1893
Reservoir levels across England have fallen to new lows as swathes of the country struggle in the wake of its driest spring since the 1890s, officials have said.
Drought has already been declared in north-west England, and four other areas – the North East, Yorkshire, East and West Midlands – are also experiencing prolonged dry weather, the Environment Agency said as it held its latest national drought group meeting of officials and key players.
While Youlgrave Waterworks, a private firm which supplies 500 homes in Derbyshire, became the first to introduce a hosepipe ban at the start of June, major water companies say they have no current plans to bring in bans but are keeping it under review.
But the national drought group, which met on Thursday morning, heard that without further substantial rain some water companies may need to implement drought measures this summer to conserve supplies.
Last month Thames Water executives said they were 'not confident' they could avoid bringing in restrictions for their 16 million customers this summer, as it would depend on how much rainfall the region received in the coming weeks.
England has only seen 57% of the long-term average May rainfall, although recent rain at the end of May and the start of June is helping to stabilise the situation, the Environment Agency said.
But reservoirs across England are now only 77% full, down from 84% a month ago, and well below the 85% levels at the end of May in the drought year of 2022, figures show.
The average figure for reservoir levels at the end of May is 93%.
And Met Office chief meteorologist Dr Will Lang warned that while the 'much-needed rainfall' at the beginning of June would continue in the coming days, drier conditions could return from the middle of the month.
'After the driest spring for more than a century across England, the start of June has brought some much-needed rainfall with a mix of Atlantic weather systems interspersed with drier and sunnier periods expected to continue over the coming days.
'Most areas will experience showers at times with some seeing longer spells of rain.
'From mid-June onwards, the forecast becomes less clear with signs of drier conditions becoming more dominant across southern England.'
And he said: 'Looking further ahead, the chance of a hot summer is higher than normal with an associated increased risk of heatwaves and related impacts,' though he added the chances of a wetter or drier than average summer remained in the balance.
Experts warn that increasingly extreme weather, including droughts and heatwaves, are becoming more likely and intense because of climate change.
Analysis from think tank the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) warns that farmers face another terrible harvest after the extremely dry conditions, though weather in the coming weeks could determine how poor it is.
The Environment Agency said it had stepped up its operational response to the dry conditions, carrying out more compliance checks on businesses such as manufacturers who abstract water from the environment and increasing monitoring of river and groundwater levels.
Water companies are under pressure to help customers cut demand and speed up the fixing of leaks, which lose drinking water back into the environment before it reaches people's kitchens and bathrooms.
United Utilities, which supplies water in the drought-hit North West, has increased the rate of finding and fixing leaks by 70% after a 'strong response' from the community in spotting leaks during the dry weather, the drought group heard.
The national drought group, which includes ministers and officials, water companies and organisations such as the National Farmers' Union, will now meet monthly through the summer to monitor the situation.
Helen Wakeham, EA director of water and National Drought Group chairwoman, said: 'It's been the driest spring since 1893, and we need to be prepared for more summer droughts as our climate changes.
'The recent rainfall is having a positive effect, but it hasn't been enough to stop a drought in the North West and we must ensure we have enough water to last the entire summer.
'We are working with water companies, farmers and other abstractors to help them plan their water usage over the summer and urge people to be mindful about their daily use.'
Water minister Emma Hardy warned 'we face a water shortage in the next decade' and said the drought meeting had been convened to make sure water companies were acting to conserve the 'precious resource' in line with drought plans.
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