Yorkshire has joined the regions of England officially in drought after the Environment Agency said triggers were met to move from “prolonged dry period” to “in drought” status.
The county joins Devon and Cornwall, Solent and South Downs, Kent and South London, Herts and North London, East Anglia, Thames, Lincolnshire, and Northamptonshire and East Midlands that were declared to be in drought last week.
The National Drought Group (NDG), which met on Friday (12 August), said rainfall, river flows, groundwater and reservoir levels as well as soil dryness are all assessed locally to determine if an area is in drought.
Yorkshire Water issued a hosepipe ban that will come into place 26 August prior to the drought being declared as part of its planning. The restrictions allow the company to apply for drought permits from the EA to abstract more water from rivers and reduce flows from reservoirs to ensure adequate supplies remain. It is the first ban in the county since 1995/96 and follows increased water efficiency messaging to customers over the summer.
Formal restrictions have now been announced by six companies. Rain has begun to fall over parts of the country amid fears of flooding where the ground is too dry to permeate.
The security of water supply and the need to nudge consumer behaviour will be a key theme at the Utility Week Forum on 8-9 November. Find out more