Severe drought declared across six areas of England as public water supplies come under threat
Six areas of England have been placed in severe drought after the country’s hottest summer on record and the driest April-to-September period in the south-east and south-west for more than a century. Parts of Devon, Cornwall, Dorset, Somerset, East Sussex and West Sussex are affected, with authorities taking urgent steps to protect public water supplies.
Reservoir levels are far below the roughly 75% normally expected at this time of year. Ardingly reservoir, serving about 95,000 properties around Haywards Heath and Uckfield, is 19% full, while Wimbleball, which supplies customers across parts of Devon, Somerset and Dorset, is at 16%. Smaller reservoirs serving 56,000 households in Cornwall and 47,000 in Devon are also causing concern.
South East Water, South West Water and Southern Water have asked to restrict non-essential business use, potentially affecting golf clubs, private schools and commercial car washes, but environment secretary Angela Eagle has not yet approved the requests. Water minister Emma Hardy has instructed the Environment Agency to prioritise public supplies where environmental protections and human demand cannot both be met. Reservoirs and rivers will now be monitored daily, water-quality checks will increase because lower flows provide less dilution for sewage, and businesses licensed to abstract water will face tighter compliance inspections. Officials are also urging households to conserve water to support rivers, farming and wildlife.
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