
Most of England facing hosepipe ban
The Environment Agency (EA) warned on Monday that swathes of the country, from Cumbria to the Isle of Wight, could have drought status declared by September.
Such a scenario would be expected to leave tens of millions in the North, Midlands and central southern England with curbs on their water usage.
The forecast came after Thames Water announced a temporary usage ban in Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Wiltshire, bringing the number of people in England under such restrictions to 7.5 million.
It follows similar measures announced recently by South East Water and Yorkshire Water.
The EA said the public should 'expect more' hosepipe bans as water companies respond to the predicted drought.
Under its forecasts, Cumbria, Yorkshire, Lancashire, the Midlands, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Surrey, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight will all be in drought by September.
The rest of the country – with the only exceptions being Devon and Cornwall – will be in 'prolonged dry weather' status, the category below drought.
'That's our reasonable worst-case scenario,' said Richard Thompson, the quango 's deputy director for water resources. 'That's what we are planning towards.
'But we have also stress tested that against some more extreme scenarios. Under those circumstances, we might expect droughts to move faster. We could expect it to become more widespread.'
Currently, three 'regions' of England are in drought: Cumbria and Lancashire; Yorkshire; and Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire.
Reservoir levels are now said to be very low across the North and Midlands following a succession of heatwaves and the driest first six months of the year in England since 1976.
Dr Will Lang, the Met Office's chief meteorologist, said: 'Looking forward, if the dry weather was to continue through the rest of the summer, we do expect other companies to follow [suit] as they follow their dry plan.
'But it will be dependent on the rainfall and temperatures.'
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That includes London, where Thames Water did not rule out introducing restrictions.
Sources told The Telegraph that the company was keeping a 'close eye' on declining water levels in reservoirs which supply the capital, where stocks are currently 'slightly below average'.
That is only marginally better than the 'below average' levels of the Farmoor Reservoir, which prompted the hosepipe ban in Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Wiltshire.
The Environment Agency also warned that farmers were facing a 'deteriorating' situation.
It said the dry spring had forced them to start irrigating fields earlier than usual and reservoirs were now 'low in some areas', adding that it could lead to 'poor crop quality', 'lower yields' and reduced 'winter feed supplies'.
The agency also confirmed that farmers in East Anglia and Yorkshire were being banned from watering their crops in an attempt to preserve water supplies.
Abstraction bans, known as Section 57 restrictions, are imposed by the Environment Agency during times when severe drought coincides with irrigation periods.
On Saturday, Tom Bradshaw, the president of the National Farmers' Union, said that the bans were ' risking food production '.
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It may have rained in recent days, but much of the country is experiencing a drought and millions of us are in the middle of a hosepipe ban that may go on for months. Rest assured, there's no need to water everything. Ignore the lawn, it will recover once the rain returns, and don't worry about established aromatic and silvery plants either. They have their own built-in sunscreen. Leaf shape matters too. If the foliage is long and linear, like an iris, kniphofia or hemerocallis, or if it's highly divided, like rosemary or dianthus, these plants will survive because transpiration is minimal. The following plants do need our help though. Most can get by on a thorough twice-a-week soaking in the morning, or in the evening. If you're going away, neighbours are often willing to help. Do encourage them to pick the beans, courgettes and tomatoes, so that they keep on cropping. 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The following vegetables can be left to their own devices. Carrots and beetroot have fleshy moisture-seeking roots and brassicas have leathery foliage, so they'll be fine. Onions and shallots should be ripening now, rather than growing. Newly planted roses Twice a week or more These are very vulnerable in their first growing season, because most have been potted up in the spring, so their fibrous root system hasn't fully developed. Gently tipping a whole can of water round the base, a couple of times a week, is vital. If you're away, make sure your helpers know where your new rose is. Once roses are established, they are very tolerant of dry conditions and heat. Check newly planted clematis as well. The smaller-flowered viticellas are the most drought-tolerant ones, once established. Hydrangeas Twice a week Hydrangeas have suffered this year due to the unusually dry spring and many are still struggling. They include the shade-loving, fairly drought tolerant forms of Hydrangea paniculata such as 'Limelight' and 'Kyushu'. Keep all your hydrangeas hydrated with a twice weekly bucket, or can of water, otherwise you may lose them. Trees and woody shrubs planted in the last two years As required Keep an eye on these, because these are expensive items to replace. This year the ground has been so dry that the roots will not have penetrated into the surrounding soil, so watering may well be needed. When a tree, or shrub, is in distress the foliage tries to avoid transpiration in two ways. Sometimes the plant slants the leaves straight down and witch hazels, or hamamelis, often do this. Watch their foliage carefully. If the leaves turn to the vertical, this winter-flowering gem is water-stressed and you may lose it. Other woody plants close their leaves up. Both are distress signals, indicating that this tree or shrub needs water now. If the worst happens, and the foliage browns and drops, don't be too hasty to remove it. Woody plants can (and do) re-shoot next spring, but it's best not to put that one to the test. Geums and astrantias Twice a week These both flower in May, and both hate dry conditions so it's imperative to water them throughout dry summers. Otherwise, both will fade away and die. Red and dark-pink astrantias are generally more demanding on the moisture front. However, this year they've all suffered – even the normally drought-tolerant pale-pink 'Buckland' has shrivelled here. Flagging phloxes need our help too. If they've turned brown, cut the stems back and water to encourage regrowth. Shade-loving South American late-summer tender plants Every other day Fuchsias, impatiens and begonias stay vivid and colourful late into the year, so you don't want to lose them in summer. They thrive in cooler semi-shade and moist soil, so these will also need watering. If you're going away, move them into full shade and stand them in pot saucers. Even then, they will still need watering every other day when it's dry. Potted plants are always vulnerable, especially smaller potfuls. It's a good idea to use larger containers. The sun lovers, such as pelargoniums, could be left for a week, but not two. 'Pink Capricorn' is my star recommendation. It will get by on a weekly water if it has to. Later season perennials Three times a week They've caught the worst of the summer drought, but most will recover once the autumn rains come. The only three I'd specify, for resuscitation purposes, are echinaceas, heleniums and rudbeckias because a dry, hot spell can see them off. A three-times-weekly can or bucket, gently tipped over them in the morning or evening, will keep them going for another year.