Severe drought declared in parts of southern England
Officials said two major reservoirs serving nearly 400,000 properties are below 20% capacity, prompting emergency steps to protect public water supplies.
- The government declared "severe drought" across Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, East Sussex, and West Sussex, following a National Drought Group meeting that reviewed water conditions across England.
- Southern England experienced its driest April to September for more than a century, leaving reservoir levels at 46 per cent below average. This prolonged dry spell triggered the drought declaration.
- Essex & Suffolk Water , Affinity Water, and Anglian Water implemented a Temporary Use Ban this summer to manage demand. ESW Water Director Kieran Ingram reported a 7 per cent reduction in usage, saying "what can be achieved when we all work together."
- The Environment Agency ordered water companies to step up drought planning to protect public supplies amid warnings that water shortages disrupt daily life and impact critical sectors.
- Severe drought, the most critical stage of dry conditions, struck Dorset for the first time in 50 years this summer and can have extensive, lasting effects on the environment, farming, people, communities, and the economy.
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58 Articles
Britain is grappling with a drought. Water levels in some reservoirs in the south of the country have fallen below 20 percent. Authorities are taking steps to rebuild water supplies.
Authorities are concerned about the level of large reservoirs that supply drinking water to the population, and managers are allowed to derogate from environmental rules for the protection of the natural environment.
Prince William's Duchy Faces Severe Drought as Minister Says 'Something We Have Not Experienced for Decades'
Severe drought has been officially declared in parts of Cornwall, where much of Prince William's Duchy of Cornwall lies, in what ministers say is 'something we have not experienced for decades'. On Thursday, 15 October, the Government also named areas of Devon, Dorset, Somerset, East Sussex and West Sussex in the alert, after what it described as the driest April-to-September period in more than a century across the South East and South West. Th…
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