The National Drought Group (NDG) is to meet again this Friday (12 August) as another spell of hot weather is forecast to last beyond the weekend across the UK.
Most of England was declared to be in the midst of a period of “prolonged dry weather” at the last meeting, which is the first of four stages of drought classified by the Environment Agency. The next step would be for the NDG to declare parts of the country to be “in drought”, followed by “severe drought”, and “recovering from drought”.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), said: “This is the driest summer in over 50 years, and all water companies have assured us that essential water supplies remain safe.
“We have taken action to build resilience in the water sector with £469 million water company investment in additional resources like new reservoirs, and we continue to crack down on leakage with tough targets. Each region has a pre-agreed drought plan which is closely scrutinised, and several companies have taken precautionary action to safeguard supplies should the dry weather continue into the autumn.”
The EA said river flows across England decreased during July with 71% classed as below normal for the time of year. Rainfall has been below average for the time of year across the country and particularly low in the south and east of England.
Defra added that government will continue to work with water companies and the EA to protect supplies, the environment and sectors that depend on water, including agriculture.
Since the group last met on 26 July, four water companies announced the need for regional usage restrictions to ensure sufficient water remains in the environment. Southern Water declared the first ban in a decade for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to protect chalk streams in the region. This was followed by South East, Welsh and Thames all announcing bans coming into effect in the coming weeks.
In 2012, seven water companies imposed usage restrictions on customers.
The NDG comprises representatives from water companies, Defra, the EA, National Farmers Union, Natural England, CCW, Ofwat, Water UK, the Drinking Water Inspectorate and other key partners.
The Met Office has forecast the dry weather to continue throughout August and September.