The Environment Agency made the announcement following the driest start to spring in almost seven decades.
An ‘unusually dry’ March, April and May have left reservoirs depleted, with many having receded to lower levels than historic droughts in 1984, 1995 and 2022. Recent spells of heavy rain have not been enough to replenish fresh water sources, and hotter weather is expected to return in the near future, adding further pressure.
Environment Agency’s operational responses will now increase, including enforcement of drought plans, which should be actioned by water companies. This includes prioritising fixing leaks, customer communication aimed at reducing demand and use, and the submission of drought permits to take more water as needed.
North West England has been particularly affected by dry weather this year, with other parts of the country revealing a more mixed picture. On 5th June the Environment Agency and Defra will convene for a National Drought Group to assess the risk level and how different companies are preparing to address this.
‘Drought is a naturally occurring phenomenon. As we see more impacts from climate change heavier rainfall and drier summers will become more frequent. This poses an enormous challenge over the next few decades,’ said Andy Brown, Water Regulation Manager at the Environment Agency.
‘Despite the rain over the weekend levels remain low and we are encouraging people to be aware of the impacts of drought as we enter the summer period,’ he continued. ‘With further unsettled periods and rainfall over the coming weeks we will continue to closely monitor the situation and implement our Drought Plan.’
Image: Matthew Feeney / Unsplash
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