Severe drought declared in six areas of England as public water supplies under threat
Source: The Guardian ·
Some reservoirs in south-east and south-west at critically low levels as water companies call for non-essential user bans on businessesA severe drought has been declared in six areas of England with some reservoirs at critically low levels, threatening public supplies.Parts of Devon, Cornwall, Dorset, Somerset, East Sussex and West Sussex have moved into severe drought, and urgent measures are…
From the source
A severe drought has been declared in six areas of England with some reservoirs at critically low levels, threatening public supplies. Parts of Devon, Cornwall, Dorset, Somerset, East Sussex and West Sussex have moved into severe drought, and urgent measures are being taken to secure public supplies of water. Despite the crisis, the environment secretary Angela Eagle has yet to approve requests from three water companies, in areas now in severe drought, to extend restrictions on water use to businesses such as golf clubs and commercial car washes. Emma Hardy, the water minister, indicated on Thursday that the environment could suffer in the ongoing drought. Hardy instructed the Environment Agency to prioritise protecting public water supplies in areas affected by severe drought where there is an unavoidable trade-off between environmental rules and water supplies. After a meeting of the national drought group, Eagle, said: “This level of drought is something we have not experienced…