Drought Declared Across Leicestershire

A drought has been declared across Leicestershire and the rest of the east and west midlands.

The Environment Agency says river flows in the region last month were the lowest for June in nearly 50 years.

People are being urged to ‘use water wisely’ and there is a warning hosepipe bans may be necessary.

Michael Squires is Chairman of the Market Harborough branch of the National Farmers Union and told HFM the prolonged dry spell has had a devastating impact on the farming sector locally:

Low water levels at Saddington Reservoir

The region joins north west England and Yorkshire in drought after one of the country’s driest springs on record and while Northamptonshire is not included, it has moved into ‘prolonged dry weather status’.

Matt Gable, regional incident lead at the Environment Agency, said: “Against a backdrop of a changing climate, this change of status recognises the impact prolonged dry weather is having on water resources and the environment.

“In the Midlands, we are taking action to reduce that impact and to oversee the actions water companies need to take to secure public water supplies.

“We are also encouraging people to play their part through the rest of the summer period by noting the small steps we can all take to save water.”

Severn Trent Water has no plans yet for a hosepipe ban in Leicestershire.

A spokesperson said: “Severn Trent hasn’t had a hosepipe ban for over 30 years because we know just how important it is for our customers.

“It’s why we have thousands of employees working around the clock right now to keep the water flowing. We’re finding and fixing more leaks than ever before, investing record amounts in new pipes, and upgrading and developing new treatment works, adding hundreds of millions of litres of drinking water into our network.

“So, whilst we want to reassure our customers that we’re doing everything we can to keep the water flowing, we can’t escape how hot and dry it is, and how little rainfall we’ve had this year. We experienced record levels of demand just last week and that’s why, as well as doing everything we can, we’re also asking our customers to be even more mindful of their water usage during this hot spell.”