Drought confirmed as hosepipe ban date is announced

ALL AREAS: The Environment

Agency (EA) has confirmed a drought in Windsor and Slough as high temperatures and a lack of rainfall continue to put pressure on the region.

Senior decision makers from the EA, Government, water companies and other key groups – who together form the National Drought Group (NDG) – met on Friday to discuss the response to the driest UK summer in 50 years.

They talked about the risks and impacts and agreed to further work to balance water needs and conserve supplies.

The EA said the drought trigger threshold had been met to move parts of England – including southern and central parts of the country – into drought.

The last drought in England was back in 2018 and the EA confirmed drought status in eight of its 14 areas. The triggers used to confirm the move include the hydrological position, such as rainfall, river flows, groundwater levels, reservoir levels, and the dryness of soils.

Moving to drought status means the EA and water companies will step up their actions to manage the impact and press ahead with implementing stages of their pre-agreed drought plans.

These plans follow factors including reservoir levels, demand and forecasts, and lead to precautionary actions such as Temporary Use Bans (also known as hosepipe bans).

This week, it was announced Thames Water would be introducing a hosepipe ban from Wednesday. But South East Water said it was not planning to introduce a hosepipe ban in the area ‘for the time being’.

Authorities have stressed ‘essential supplies of water are safe’ and will ‘remain resilient across the country’, adding people should use water ‘wisely’ in drought affected areas.

Prolonged dry weather this year has led to low river flows and reservoir levels falling across much of England.

Harvey Bradshaw, EA executive director for the environment and chair of the NDG, said: “The current high temperatures we are experiencing have exacerbated pressures on wildlife and our water environment.

“EA staff are doing an excellent job responding to environmental impacts and working with water companies to make sure they are following their drought plans.

“We urge everyone to manage the amount of water they are using in this exceptionally dry period.”