A drought has been declared in the West and East Midlands – and more hosepipe bans could be needed, says the Environment Agency (EA)
Declaring a drought does not automatically mean a ban – but water companies in those areas can implement one if they think necessary.
Yorkshire Water has already restricted use, while bans are also being introduced in Kent, Sussex, Swindon, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Wiltshire.
Some river flows in the Midlands are the lowest in June since 1976, according to the EA, and people are being urged to “play their part” and “use water wisely”.
The decision was made by the National Drought Group, which includes the EA, Met Office, government, water firms and others.
It warned that “without further substantial rain, some water companies may need to implement further drought measures, including more Temporary Use Bans (TUBs) to conserve supplies”.
A TUB is the technical name for what’s commonly known as a “hosepipe ban”.
Northwest England entered drought status in May, and Yorkshire last month after the driest spring there in 132 years.
Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, East Anglia and the Thames recently moved into “prolonged dry weather status” – one level below a drought.
The Environment Agency said rainfall across England was 20% less than the long-term average last month and that it was the hottest June on record.
Reservoir levels are also continuing to fall, with storage in England at 75.6% and just 53.8% in Yorkshire.
