Government urges water-saving after severe drought declared

The UK government is urging people to use water carefully after severe drought was declared in parts of southern England, warning that conditions could become “the new normal”. [1]

Water and flooding minister Emma Hardy told MPs that the country was facing drought conditions not seen for decades and asked people to think about how to use water wisely in the coming weeks. She said the situation followed exceptionally low rainfall and falling reservoir levels. [1]

The Environment Agency declared severe drought in parts of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, East Sussex and West Sussex on Thursday, following months of low rainfall. The government said water supplies would not be interrupted, but that the declaration would help prompt measures to protect supplies before any disruption occurred. [1]

Reservoir levels cited by the BBC included 14.9% capacity at Wimbleball on Exmoor and 19.4% at Ardingly. Roadford in Devon was at 36.8%, Burrator at 33.6%, Colliford in Cornwall at 35% and Stithians at 21.9%. [1]