The Government has declared a severe drought in parts of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, East Sussex and West Sussex. This follows the South East and South West experiencing their driest April to September in over a century, impacting reservoir levels.
Water companies in these areas have been told to step up drought planning to protect customer supplies. Measures include ministers instructing water companies to conduct daily monitoring of reservoir and river levels, and tougher water quality monitoring. The Environment Agency will also increase compliance checks on businesses that withdraw water from natural sources.
Water Minister Emma Hardy has instructed the Environment Agency to prioritise protecting public water supplies in affected areas, allowing water companies to keep more water in depleted reservoirs when there is an unavoidable trade-off with environmental rules. Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle stated that this level of drought has not been experienced for decades and urged everyone to use water wisely.
The announcement follows a meeting of the National Drought Group, which has been regularly convened since August. The expert group, including the Met Office and water companies, has also urged people to use water wisely.