Where in the UK is in drought - and will it spread to the rest of the country?
London bracing for water restrictions as drought grips UK
- Yorkshire Water has announced a hosepipe ban for its 2.3 million households, effective from Friday, due to exceptionally low rainfall and depleted reservoir levels.
- Thames Water, which includes most of Greater London in its service area, has also warned it may introduce a hosepipe ban unless current water shortages "change significantly," urging customers to conserve water.
- North-west England and Yorkshire are already experiencing officially declared drought conditions, with Yorkshire moving to "drought" status last month following the north-west in May.
- England has endured its hottest spring on record and driest in over a century, followed by the hottest June, contributing to the severe water scarcity.
- Experts attribute the increasingly extreme weather, including hotter, drier summers and more frequent heatwaves, to human-caused climate change, exacerbating water supply issues.