The UK government has declared severe drought in six southern counties after reservoirs dropped to critically low levels. Authorities are urging water conservation as supplies face immense pressure.
Severe drought has been declared across parts of southern England following a record-breaking hot summer and months of low rainfall. The Environment Agency announced the status for parts of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, East Sussex and West Sussex after a review by the National Drought Group. The South East and South West have experienced their driest April to September period in more than a century, according to the government.
The declaration was prompted by concerns over two major reservoirs serving hundreds of thousands of customers. According to the Environment Agency, Ardingly Reservoir in West Sussex is at 19.4% capacity, while Wimbleball Reservoir in Somerset is at 14.9%. The agency stated it would expect reservoir storage to be about 75% at this time of year.
Other reservoirs are also below expected levels:
The Environment Agency has classed Colliford and Wimbleball as having exceptionally low levels. Ardingly serves about 280,000 customers across East and West Sussex, while Wimbleball provides for about 300,000 properties in East and North Devon, Somerset and West Dorset.
The government stated that declaring severe drought "ensures proactive steps are taken to safeguard water before any disruption occurs." A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs confirmed that customer water supplies would remain uninterrupted.
Ministers have instructed water companies to conduct daily monitoring of reservoir and river levels and to implement tougher water quality monitoring. The Environment Agency is increasing compliance checks on businesses that withdraw water from natural sources to ensure they are only taking permitted quantities.
The agency has granted drought orders to South East Water and South West Water, allowing them to cut the amount of water sent from reservoirs to rivers by millions of litres per day. Mark Rice, the Environment Agency area director for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, said "the importance of this move is that it pushes the day when further restrictions are needed, so they won't be needed at all across the winter period and that we're able to refill the reservoirs."
Hosepipe bans are already in force in several areas. South West Water said a ban has been in place since 8 August across Devon, Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly and parts of Dorset and Somerset, with no definite end date. Wessex Water introduced its first hosepipe ban in 50 years in August.
South East Water, which supplies more than two million customers, reported that 92 repair crews were working across Sussex and Kent to tackle leaks. The company said the number of leaks in the affected area had fallen from 181 to 97, and more than 1,300 leaks had been repaired since 1 April.
Environment Agency Chief Executive Philip Duffy said: "Record-breaking summer heat and severe drought have put our water resources under immense pressure. Recovery depends on both rainfall and how much water we use. We cannot change the weather, but water companies can act now."
Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle said: "This level of drought is something we have not experienced for decades, so this government is stepping up our support and planning. We are working closely with water companies to protect public supplies in the areas affected, and I'd continue to urge everyone to think about how they can use water wisely over the coming weeks."
This is the first time the "severe drought" classification has been implemented since it was introduced following the 2012 drought. The status represents the most critical stage of dry conditions, which the Environment Agency says can have "lasting effects on the environment, farming, people, communities, and the economy." The government has pledged £65m in support for farmers and plans to build nine new major reservoirs by 2050 to secure future supplies.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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