What does the declaration of a drought mean for Yorkshire?
A drought has officially been declared for Yorkshire after the driest start to a year in 96 years. But what does that mean for people living and working in the region?During a drought, which is announced by the Environment Agency, water companies are required to put their drought plan into action.This can mean customers being asked to reduce their water usage and, if that is ineffective, hosepipe bans could follow.The move to drought status does not automatically trigger action, but allows the Environment Agency and water firms to increase efforts to manage the impact.It is the first time a drought has been officially declared in Yorkshire since 2022, and comes just weeks after a drought was confirmed across the north west of England.In May, Yorkshire Water, which provides water to about five million people, said its reservoir stocks had been falling since late January due to one of the driest springs on record, and increased customer demand during warmer temperatures.According to the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs, north east and north west England have not experienced such a dry period between January and April since 1929.
Yorkshire Water's drought plan – which follows guidelines set by the Environment Agency – includes the possible introduction of measures such as:Voluntary water usage restrictionsFormal hosepipe and sprinkler bansReducing leakage from Yorkshire Water systemsOptimising the company's supply network by balancing reservoir stocks and recommissioning unused water sourcesAccording to Yorkshire Water's plan, it could restrict water use for vehicle washing, watering parks and gardens and washing buildings.However, customers would be asked to volunteer to reduce their usage before a hosepipe ban was put in place, according to the firm.If the voluntary restrictions did not work and the drought worsened or continued, formal restrictions on water use could be brought into force.Water firms are also expected to release more regular information on stocks during an official drought.
Yorkshire Water last implemented its drought plan in summer 2022, with a hosepipe ban that lasted from August until December that year.During the 2022 drought, the company recommended customers take measures such as singing a four-minute song while showering to reduce usage, only cleaning car mirrors, windows and lights, and leaving lawns to go brown.In May, Dave Kaye, the firm's director of water, said a hosepipe ban was a possibility this year.He warned that water stocks in Yorkshire were "in a worse situation" than in 2022, when there were three heatwaves over the course of the summer.According to the company, a drought order would be lifted when the region's water resources returned to levels where normal operations could resume.But it has said that could take some time and measures might last well beyond any return to normal rainfall patterns.
Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times
4 hours ago
- Times
Rain at last but age-old patterns are moving fast
R ain at last, sweeping over dust-dry Suffolk in pulse after pulse, thinning as it marched eastwards, as it usually does, but enough to do more than just dampen the parched fields and wet the soil. Rain to refill the water butts and top up garden ponds; to turn dusty roads into brief, shining rivers, raindrops bouncing fatly up in a mist. Rain to move the moss down roofs towards the gutters and knock the petals from the first, spent roses, to wash the trees' dry leaves and conjure worms towards the surface from deep in the soil. Butterflies and bees crept beneath leaves and waited out the first showers some have ever seen; slugs and snails, meanwhile, sallied forth into a freshly welcoming world. Froglets and toadlets, new-minted, used the welcoming wetness of the long grass to disperse from ponds and were hunted by grass snakes, their sinuous bodies shining in the rain.
ITV News
6 hours ago
- ITV News
Met Office issues 'danger to life' thunderstorm warnings in several regions
Britons have been warned to expect flooding and power cuts this weekend after the Met Office issued thunderstorm warnings covering several parts of the country. The forecasting body announced thunderstorms were 'pushing into' the English Channel ahead of an amber weather warning for severe thunderstorms on the South East coast. The amber alert, which came into force from 8pm on Friday, covers parts of East Anglia and eastern parts of East Sussex and Kent, and runs until 5am on Saturday. It advises of the risk of torrential rain, large hail, frequent lightning and gusty winds, adding: "Fast flowing or deep floodwater is likely, causing danger to life." A yellow thunderstorm warning is in place until 11.59pm covering southwestern England and Wales while a further yellow alert comes into effect at 7pm lasting until 6am on Saturday for East Anglia and the south east of England. The forecaster says the storms could lead to road flooding, difficult driving conditions, power cuts and flooding of homes and businesses. 'Initially, during the evening, it's dry towards the South East but we'll be watching developments over northern France very closely because that's where these thunderstorms are likely to develop and drift northeastwards,' Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern said.'The signals are that it's across East Anglia and the far south east of England – so Kent, Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk – where we're likely to see the greatest risk of impacts from the torrential rain, large hail – 1-2cm in diameter – frequent lightning and gusty winds, 50mph wind gusts, perhaps more with some of the most lively thunderstorms.' RAC breakdown spokeswoman Alice Simpson said: 'Amber weather warnings must be taken seriously by drivers. Strong winds increase the chance of trees and powerlines falling and this combined with torrential rain over a short period can make driving much more challenging.'Anyone not confident driving in the conditions may wish to postpone their journeys until the stormy weather passes.' Katharine Smith, flood duty manager at the Environment Agency, said: 'Forecast heavy rain and thunderstorms today mean there is a risk of significant and localised surface water flooding impacts in parts of England, including the East and South East on Friday with impacts probable into early Saturday.'Environment Agency teams have ensured rivers and watercourses are clear ahead of the storms and stand ready to support local authorities in their response to surface water flooding.'We urge people not to drive through flood water as just 30cm of flowing water is enough to move your car.'People should check their flood risk, sign up for free flood warnings and keep up to date with the latest situation by searching 'check my flood risk', and follow @EnvAgency on X for the latest flood updates.' It comes after the UK recorded its warmest day of the year so far as temperatures hit 29.4C. Santon Downham, in West Suffolk, enjoyed the hottest weather on Friday, just breaking the previous record for 2025 which stood at 29.3C, recorded on May 1 in Kew Gardens, west also experienced its hottest day of the year so far as temperatures in Lossiemouth hit 25.7C. For mid-June, the forecasting body said it would expect maximum temperatures in the UK to be between 16-18C across the north and between 18-20C across the south. Mr McGivern said the heat and humidity on Friday could spark 'very severe weather' overnight.
The Guardian
8 hours ago
- The Guardian
UK records warmest day of the year so far as temperatures hit 29.4C
The UK has recorded its warmest day of the year so far with temperatures hitting 29.4C, the Met Office has said. It came as the forecasting service announced thunderstorms were 'pushing into' the Channel, leading to an amber weather warning for severe thunderstorms that will come into force at 8pm on Friday. A Met Office spokesperson said: 'We have now provisionally had the warmest day of the year so far with 29.4C at Santon Downham in Suffolk.' The UK Health Security Agency has also issued its first yellow heat-health alert this year, running until 8am on Sunday in the east of England, East Midlands, London, and the south-east. This means there could be an increased use of healthcare services by vulnerable people, including those over 65 and individuals with pre-existing health conditions. The heat and humidity could spark 'very severe weather' overnight, Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern said. The amber thunderstorm alert, covering parts of East Anglia and eastern parts of East Sussex and Kent until 5am on Saturday, advises of the risk of torrential rain, large hail, frequent lightning and gusty winds. It added that the storms could lead to road flooding, difficult driving conditions, power cuts and flooding of homes and businesses. Katharine Smith, flood duty manager at the Environment Agency, said: 'Environment Agency teams have ensured rivers and watercourses are clear ahead of the storms and stand ready to support local authorities in their response to surface water flooding. 'We urge people not to drive through flood water as just 30cm of flowing water is enough to move your car.' Yellow thunderstorm warnings are also in place for much of southern and south-western England and Wales between Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. Another warning is in place across eastern and southern Scotland from midnight to 6pm on Saturday, with northern and south-western England and Wales also affected.
