UK heatwave – live: Drought declared across large part of England

Yorkshire Water the latest company to declare hosepipe ban

Aftermath of Dagenham wildfires shows devastation

A drought has been declared across a large part of England as the driest summer in decades leaves millions facing water restrictions.

Parts of the southwest and swathes of southern, eastern and central England are to be moved into drought status, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs says.

Yorkshire Water is the latest company to announce a hosepipe ban as another heatwave scorches the country after months of low rainfall.

The restrictions will come into effect from 26 August, the company’s director, Neil Dewis, said, citing fears over falling water stocks and a need for caution over “clean water supplies and long-term river health” as the basis for its decision.

On Thursday, experts warned that only “exceptional rainfall” in these worst affected parts of the country over the autumn and winter would ensure that water resources returned to normal before next year, sparking concern that restrictions could last into 2023.

“The autumn-winter period as a whole will be critical to dictating what the water resources position will be as we go into 2023,” said Jamie Hannaford, a hydrologist at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.

Key Points

• Drought declared in areas of England
• Yorkshire Water announces first hosepipe ban in 27 years
• UK climate effects already ‘worse than feared’ and are likely to deteriorate
• UK ‘completely unprepared’ to deal with ‘brutal, brutal’ wildfires, union warns
• Four-day extreme heat warning takes effect
• ‘Exceptional’ wildfire risk in place

[12 August 2022 12:43 · Jane Dalton]

What drought status means

Moving to drought status means that the Environment Agency and water companies will “step up action to manage the impacts and press ahead with implementing the stages of their pre-agreed drought plans”, the government says.

It says these plans “follow local factors including reservoir levels, demand and forecasts, and lead to precautionary actions such as temporary use bans”.

The last drought in England was 2018.

[12 August 2022 12:45 · Jane Dalton]

Areas declared to be in drought

The Environment Agency has confirmed drought status in eight of its 14 areas:

• Devon and Cornwall
• Solent and the South Downs
• Kent and south London
• Herts and north London
• East Anglia
• Thames
• Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire
• East Midlands

[12 August 2022 12:55 · Emily Atkinson]

Latest weather update from Met Office

Temperatures have already soared well above 30C today, but the latest Met Office forecast predicts they will inch up as high as 34C in some areas by 2pm today.

[12 August 2022 12:56 · Jane Dalton]

Driest July ever in east and southeast

July was the driest across England since 1935, and since records began for the east and southeast, a report by the Environment Agency today reveals.

Monthly rainfall totals for most river catchments were classed as exceptionally low for the time of year.

The national report on the water situation for July looks at the rainfall, soil moisture deficit, river flows, groundwater levels and reservoir levels last month.

[12 August 2022 12:58 · Jane Dalton]

Five months running of below-average rainfall across all England

There have been five consecutive months of below-average rainfall across all geographic regions in England and above-average temperatures, the EA report reveals.

River flows, groundwater levels and reservoir stocks all decreased last month.

[12 August 2022 13:01 · Jane Dalton]

Thirteen rivers at lowest ever levels

Thirteen rivers monitored by the Environment Agency are at their lowest levels ever recorded, the agency report shows.

Soil moisture deficit is comparable to that seen at the end of the 1976 drought, it says.

[12 August 2022 13:14 · Emily Atkinson]

What is a drought and what happens if it is declared?

A drought has been declared in parts of the country as England and Wales swelter in a second heatwave in weeks.

The National Drought Group brings together officials from the government, water companies, Met Office and National Farmers Union among others.

Droughts are declared for local areas, rather than nationally, and the Environment Agency is responsible for determining whether an area is officially considered to be in drought.

Our climate correspondent Saphora Smith has the details:

[12 August 2022 13:25 · Emily Atkinson]

Water stock drops by 10% in more than two-thirds of reservours

More than two-thirds of reservoirs or groups of reservoirs in England saw their stock of water drop by over 10 per cent between the end of June and the end of July.

Ardingly reservoir in West Sussex and Hanningfield reservoir in Essex both saw the largest decreases last month, with drops of 21 per cent.

[12 August 2022 13:37 · Emily Atkinson]

Heatwave: How the water shortage brought some regions to a hosepipe ban

As parts of the UK face hosepipe bans due to extreme heat across the region, our video team takes a look at how the situation got to this point.

Yorkshire Water, which provides for five million customers, is the latest to announce a hosepipe ban, effective 26 August.

“We don’t know, and can’t be certain, that it will rain,” Yorkshire Water’s director Neil Dewis said, adding the restrictions will allow them to “sustain water supply into next year.”

Southern Water’s hosepipe ban is already in place, with South East Water’s restrictions taking effect today (12 August).

[12 August 2022 14:03 · Emily Atkinson]

Vegetable prices ‘to shoot up over winter’ due to heatwave

Prices of vegetables including potatoes and onions are likely to rise this winter because of difficulties in growing crops during the heatwave, a former environment minister predicts.

Arable farmer and ex-minister Sir Robert Goodwill told Radio 4’s The World at One the dry conditions were the worst he had seen in his farming career.