Yorkshire has become the second area of England to enter drought after the country recorded its driest spring in 132 years.
Hosepipe bans could be possible if the region did not have significant rainfall in the coming weeks as, despite recent showers, reservoir stocks were continuing to dwindle. Yorkshire Water reservoir stocks dropped 0.51% over the last week to 62.3%, significantly below the average of 85.5% for this time of year.
Last month, north-west England entered drought status as reservoir levels fell to half their capacity. Much of the rest of the country is in prolonged dry status, which is the step before drought.
Warm and dry weather is forecast, and long-range forecasts suggest a greater-than-normal chance of a hot summer.
Met Office data shows Yorkshire recorded its warmest spring for mean temperature this year since records began in 1884.
Dave Kaye, the director of water at Yorkshire Water, said: “We had one of the driest springs on record, which has impacted our reservoir levels, meaning they are much lower than normal for this time of year. Without significant rainfall in the coming months, temporary usage restrictions are a possibility.”
The impacts of drought are already being felt in the region. Hot and dry weather can increase wildfires, and there have been several on the Pennine moorland, including large fires at Marsden Moor, Wessenden and Rishworth Moor. Farmers have also reported the beginnings of crop failures.
Low water levels have made navigation difficult on canals and some rivers in the region, and there are a number of closures and restrictions in place to preserve water across the Canal & River Trust network, predominantly on the Leeds & Liverpool canal.
People across England have been asked to conserve water as summer begins amid low river flows, groundwater levels and reservoir levels.
Claire Barrow, the Environment Agency’s planning manager for Yorkshire, said: “Our climate is changing, and we had 22 days of almost no recorded rainfall in May.
“While we have had some rain at the start of June, it has not been enough to reverse the impacts of the prolonged dry weather.
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“We are working with Yorkshire Water to make sure they enact their drought plans. We also encourage people to be aware of the environmental impacts of droughts as we enter the summer period and note the small steps we can all take to save water.”
Scientists have said climate breakdown will make rain droughts more likely as a result of less predictable rainfall.
There have not been any major reservoirs built in England for more than 30 years, but the government has announced it has approved two to begin construction.
The Guardian reported recently that to avert a drought there would need to be rainfall at levels last seen in 2012, when record-breaking deluges caused floods across the country. This does not look likely, with hot, dry weather forecast.
