Despite recent periods of rain, the country, particularly in the south and east, has not received enough rain to refill depleted rivers and reservoirs. Leaked documents from the National Drought Group, seen by the Guardian, say some water companies are considering non-essential use bans. The group is made up of government agencies, NGOs and water companies and together they decide how to deal with drought conditions. The Hosepipe ban remains in place across much of the country, including Yorkshire, London and large areas of southern and south-east England. The next step, which could be implemented this month, would be to ban all non-essential water use. This will include a bar for washing vehicles and non-domestic buildings, as well as bans on filling bodies of water, including swimming pools and ponds. This is a relatively drastic measure that has not been implemented during recent droughts. In 1976, after 16 months of low rainfall, the government told households to cut their water supply in half. The document reveals that companies looking to apply for further drought orders in September include South West Water, Southern Water, Yorkshire Water, South East Water, Severn Trent water and Thames Water. Such drastic measures may need to be taken to protect the public water supply, which could be at risk if dry conditions continue. The leaked minutes reveal that experts do not expect there will be enough rain to alleviate the dry weather. They say: “The [three-month] The outlook shows there is a risk of continued dry conditions in the south and east of the UK, with little sign of the rainfall needed to end the current drought conditions.’ Farmers were represented at the National Drought Task Force meeting by the National Farmers Union, which warned attendees that “many have little or no water” and that many crops have been significantly affected by the lack of rain. They said some growers were sacrificing some crops to save others, with reduced yields. When rivers and reservoirs are depleted, water companies draw from aquifers, but they too dry up, with little sign of being “recharged” with rain ready for next year. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The latest outlook from the UK’s Center for Ecology and Hydrology says: “September groundwater levels are likely to be normal to below normal in northern areas of the aquifer and below normal further south (with extremely low remain in some wells). The three-month outlook suggests a similar picture, but with levels trending towards normal, away from the south, although there is much uncertainty ahead of the renewal season.” This year, parts of England have experienced the driest conditions for nearly a century, with most of the country officially in drought. Eleven of the Environment Agency’s 14 areas have been given drought status, meaning there are concerns about water supplies. Extremely hot and dry conditions have hurt crops, fueled wildfires and led to a large increase in demand for water, with environmental impacts such as drying up of rivers and lakes, and the death or suffering of fish and other wildlife animals. The problem affects the whole of Europe. Almost half of the 27 EU countries are under drought warning, with conditions worsening in Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania and Spain. Water UK, which represents water companies, declined to comment.
