The northwest of England is officially in drought, the Environment Agency (EA) has said.
Weeks of unusually dry weather coupled with low water levels in reservoirs and rivers pushed the region into drought status, which was declared on 21 May.
It comes after bosses at the UK’s biggest water company warned of possible usage restrictions this summer after a dry start to the year.
Thames Water chief executive Chris Weston said earlier this month that the company is doing “all we need to” to prepare for potential water shortages.
He said that while he is confident the company will not run out of water, there is the possibility of curbing customers’ water use depending on the weather in the coming weeks.
This could mean restrictions on Thames Water’s 16 million customers in the southeast of England, an area that is already heavily water-stressed – where the demand for water exceeds the available supply.
The EA previously warned of a “medium” risk of drought in England this summer if there is not sustained rainfall, after the country experienced its driest start to spring in nearly 70 years.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Will this lead to a full hosepipe ban?
The EA says there are no hosepipe bans planned. However, the regulator has urged utilities to take action to cut leaks and help customers save water.
When a hosepipe ban – officially called a Temporary Usage Ban – is in place, people are banned from using them for things like watering a garden, filling a paddling pool, or washing a car.
Customers are instead encouraged to use a watering can or bucket to do things like water plants. Anyone who breaches the ban without permission from the water company could be fined as much as £1,000.
The last hosepipe ban, implemented by South East Water in June 2023, affected people in Kent and Sussex.
The country also experienced drought and record heatwaves in 2022 when five water companies imposed a hosepipe ban on a total of 19 million customers to ensure drinking and wastewater services were prioritised.
Thames Water’s Mr Weston said the company had learned the lessons of 2022, when it was reported that the firm came “dangerously close” to running out of water.
What has caused drought?
Sky News weather producer Chris England said drought concerns were caused by the fact it has been “very warm overall” – something he put down to “a meandering jet stream, which can cause either high or low temperatures and rainfall, depending on where the meanders are”.
He said that it’s “what is expected from a warming Arctic”.
The Met Office said the jet stream has caused a persistent area of high pressure known as a “blocking high” that has been hanging over the country since the end of February.
Such systems bring descending air, which suppresses cloud formation and prevents rain.
Check the latest weather forecast here
Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the northwest and northeast of England have all experienced extremely dry periods since January.
In Scotland especially, there has been the lowest level of rainfall from 1 January to 11 May since records began back in 1931, according to PA news agency analysis of Met Office average daily rainfall data.
So far this spring, 1 March to 11 May, the southeast of England has recorded only 34.9mm of rain, the fourth-lowest total since daily data began in 1931.
At the end of April, water levels were at their lowest on record at six Environment Agency monitoring sites across the north of England.
The Don at Doncaster in South Yorkshire, the River Swale at Crakehill Topcliffe in North Yorkshire, the South Tyne at Haydon Bridge in Northumberland, the Wharfe at Tadcaster in North Yorkshire, the Wear at Witton Park in Lancashire and the Mersey at Ashton Weir in Greater Manchester, were all at record lows.
England’s overall reservoir storage stood at 84% last month, lower than at the same time back in 2022.
This is important as reservoirs are used during droughts to mitigate water shortages. They are designed to store water during periods of higher rainfall and then release it when supplies are needed.
The government said on 28 May that it has stepped in to take control of the planning process for two new reservoirs in East Anglia and Lincolnshire – a move it hopes will improve water resources for more than three quarters of a million homes and unlock the building of new homes.
Follow our channel and never miss an update
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
Easy ways to cut water usage
Water UK, the trade association for the water industry, said customers can start to help leave more water in the environment by making small changes at home and in the garden.
These changes can include:
• Reusing water in paddling pools;
• Use a scum ball in a home hot tub or spa to prevent the development of scum lines or foaming;
• Using a bucket to wash cars, or only washing the windscreen and mirrors on the vehicle;
• Keeping a jug of water in the fridge, so there is no need to run the tap until it turns cold.
