Ministers are urging households to use water wisely as severe drought is declared across parts of southern England after months of low rainfall. The government says action is needed now to stop drought becoming the norm.
01Summary
- 01Severe drought was declared on Thursday across parts of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, East Sussex and West Sussex.
- 02Water and flooding minister Emma Hardy told MPs the conditions are something the UK has not experienced for decades.
- 03The government said around 50 million people are now affected and over 80% of England is in drought.
- 04Wimbleball Reservoir is at 14.9% capacity and Ardingly Reservoir is 19.4% full, while other major reservoirs are also low.
- 05Water companies have been told to carry out daily monitoring of reservoir levels and water quality, and the Environment Agency will increase compliance checks on water abstraction.
02Why it matters
The drought could affect water use across a wide area, including homes supplied by low reservoirs in the South West and South East. It also signals tighter monitoring and pressure on businesses and water companies to conserve supplies.
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