Britons have been told to make “changes” in their homes following the one of the driest Springs for decades.The Goverment’s national drought group met on Thursday, with ministers, Environment Agency (EA) officials and water companies gathering to discuss the risk of drought if dry conditions continue, The Times reports.
Northern areas have been particularly rain-deprived, and Yorkshire Water, United Utilities, as well as Seven Trent (which serves Birmingham and the Midlands), are all understood to have implemented the first stages of their plans for dealing with water shortages that can result from a lack of sustained rainfall, as per the outlet.
Yorkshire Water sees average reservoir levels at 89.5% of capacity for this time of year, but they’re currently at 73.1%, while United Utilities’ reservoirs are at 68.9% compared to its 88.7% average for this point in the calendar.
However, Severn Trent, the reservoirs of which are at 85.5%, has said it’s confident that it won’t need to impose a hosepipe in the months ahead.
Water UK, the trade association for the country’s water and wastewater companies said: “Following the driest start to spring in nearly 70 years, water companies have been taking two actions: first, they are breaking new records for repairing leaks; and second, they are moving water across their regions to relieve the driest areas.
It added that customers “can also help to leave more water in the environment by making small changes to everyday routines at home and in the garden”.
Last week, Tim Mcmahon, boss of Southern Water (a major provider in southern England) told the BBC that the southeast was “drier than Sydney, Istanbul, Dallas, Marrakesh”, arguing that investment was needed in the “densely populated area”.
He also warned: “We need to reduce customers’ usage. Otherwise we will have to put other investments in place, which will not be good for our customers and might not be the best thing for the environment.”
It comes as EA warned there is a “medium” risk of summer drought without sustained rainfall, and urged water companies to do more to cut leakages and help customers save water.
While there are currently no hosepipe restrictions in force, the bans are one of the measures the EA could implement in the months ahead, as the regulator warned it could be preparing the public for water saving measures.
The EA’s deputy director of water Richard Thompson said despite record wet conditions in the past two years, recent dry weather now meant drought was a “possibility”.
He said: “The changing climate means we will see more summer droughts in the coming decades. The last two years were some of the wettest on record for England but drier conditions at the start of this year mean a drought is a possibility and we need to be prepared.
“It’s heartening to see more people looking to reduce their water use and we expect water companies to do more to cut leakage and roll out smart meters.”
England saw its driest start to spring in March and April since 1956, with half the expected rainfall in April and only a quarter of the long-term average in March, Met Office figures show.
Across England, reservoirs are 84% full – below the 90% levels seen at the end of April in the 2022 drought year. The issue is particularly acute in the north of England, where reservoir levels are either notably low or exceptionally low across the North East and North West, which have had their driest start to the year since 1929.
While chalk groundwater levels are in generally a good position, river flows are below normal or lower for this time of year across northern and central England. Farmers have had to start irrigating crops early, with more pressure on their onsite storage reservoirs, and wildfires have been seen in areas including Cumbria, Derbyshire and Dorset due to dry vegetation, the EA said.