Met Office gives update on Yorkshire drought and hosepipe ban
The National Drought Group has warned that water shortages are set to continue throughout the autumn, amid Yorkshire Water’s ongoing hosepipe ban.
The NDG - which is formed of the Met Office, government officials, regulators, water companies and trade bodies - said that, despite the wet weather over the last few weeks, the current drought in Yorkshire and across the country is far from over.
It said the Leeds canal was at a critically low level, while the dry weather has led to lower and poorer quality crop yields in the harvest.
Yorkshire Water is the only company with a full hosepipe ban, which was brought in on July 11 after the driest and hottest spring on record.
The Environment Agency had already declared a drought in Yorkshire in June.
Yorkshire’s reservoir stocks have been decreasing since late January due to the dry and warm weather, and are currently at some of the lowest levels in the country.
They sit at just 30 per cent, behind only the Pennines Group of reservoirs, while they should be at 72 per cent at this time of year on average.
Yorkshire Water has been granted drought permits to draw out water from the rivers Ouse and Wharfe.
Alan Lovell, chair of the Environment Agency, said: “While we have seen some recent rain, it is nowhere near enough to reverse the impact of the last seven months, which have been the driest since 1976.
“The environment bears the brunt of this lack of rainfall, and this summer we have seen widespread impacts from low river levels, fish needing to be rescued, and wildfires.
“We are calling on everyone to continue to take simple steps to reduce their water use and are grateful to people for following the restrictions imposed by water companies. By saving water, we all leave more water in the environment.”
The Met Office’s Will Lang added: “Looking ahead, while the longer-range forecast suggests a trend towards wetter-than-average conditions, rainfall is expected to vary significantly across regions, with more rain expected to western and northern parts of the UK, while eastern and southern areas may remain drier.
“Importantly, even with the overall signal for wetter weather, and the chance for flooding in some places, this does not guarantee that current drought conditions will ease consistently across the country.
“Drought conditions and the potential for flooding can occur at the same time in different parts of the UK, such is the nature of our climate.”