Whole of the South West is now officially in drought status
One has already been declared in Cornwall and parts of Devon, along with a hosepipe ban
Last updated 30th Aug 2022
The Environment Agency has announced that the whole of the South West has now joined all of Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly and parts of Devon in officially being in a drought.
One has been declared in the Wessex area – which includes Bristol, Somerset, Dorset, south Gloucestershire and parts of Wiltshire – bringing the total number of EA areas in England in drought status to 11.
While the region has had some rainfall over the last two weeks, it has not been sufficient to compensate for the long dry period in recent months.
The drought is resulting in low river flows, hitting the environment in and around rivers, the Environment Agency said, adding it would work with companies and individuals with licences to abstract water and with the public, to lower demand and reduce the impact on nature.
Chris Paul, the Environment Agency's area drought lead, said: "Despite some heavy rain over the past two weeks, it has not been enough to refill our rivers and aquifers.
"River levels across our Wessex area are exceptionally low – many showing the lowest flows on record.
"This places incredible strain on local wildlife and this is why we are moving to drought status. We are prioritising our local operations to minimise impacts on the environment".
A Temporary Use Ban, otherwise known as a hosepipe ban, remains in force across Cornwall.
It comes after the driest July since 1935 across England, with monthly rainfall totals for the majority of river catchments classed as exceptionally low for the time of year.
The Environment Agency said there had been five consecutive months of below average rainfall across all geographic regions in England and above average temperatures.
And river flows, groundwater and reservoir levels all decreased during July.
The extremely hot dry conditions have hit crops, fuelled wildfires and led to a large increase in demand for water, with impacts on the environment including rivers and ponds drying out and fish and other wildlife dying or suffering.
Six water companies – Southern Water, South East Water, Thames Water, Yorkshire Water, South West Water and Welsh Water – have implemented or announced hosepipe bans, as part of efforts to tackle the drought.
But water firms have come under fire for high rates of water leaking from the network, profits and executive pay, and for sewage pouring into rivers and the sea in the recent heavy rainfall.
Experts have said sufficient rainfall over the autumn and winter would replenish rivers, lakes, groundwater and reservoirs to normal levels by spring, but planning should begin now on how to manage shortfalls in 2023 if the coming months are dry.
Drought is also gripping much of Europe, fuelling forest fires, drying up rivers and devastating crops.
Almost half of the 27-nation EU is under drought warning, with conditions worsening in Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania and Spain.