How one water company has gone 30 years without a hosepipe ban
It has been the country's driest start to a year since 1976, with drought declared in the East and West Midlands this week, joining swathes of northern England also in drought status.
It comes after rainfall in June was 20% less than the long-term average. It was also the hottest June on record, with two heatwaves over the month driving unusually high demand for water.
All this has resulted in a number of water companies imposing hosepipe bans.
Southern Water is the latest, saying restrictions on hosepipes for activities such as watering gardens, filling paddling pools and washing cars will come in for households in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight from Monday, following similar restrictions from Yorkshire Water, South East Water and Thames Water.
But there is no sign of a ban - yet - from Severn Trent, the water company which serves 4.6 million households across the Midlands, as well as Bristol, north and mid-Wales and the outskirts of Sheffield.
In fact, it has a 30-year record of not imposing hosepipe bans, and this week said it was doing everything in its power to not break that.
Here, Yahoo News UK asks: how?
How has Severn Trent kept its 30-year record?
When approached by Yahoo News UK, Severn Trent said it has avoided a hosepipe ban for 30 years "because we know just how important it is for our customers".
But Dr Jess Neumann, associate professor of hydrology at the University of Reading, said a big factor is the company's sourcing "resilience".
"It has the advantage of sourcing water from multiple different places: upland and lowland rivers, ground water and reservoirs.
"So it probably has a bit more resilience in terms of being able to source from other places, whereas companies like Yorkshire Water are heavily reliant on reservoirs, and if it doesn't rain it doesn't have the water because it doesn't have ground water supplies."
However, Severn Trent did point to what it is doing to prevent future hosepipe bans, including fixing 60,000 leaks across its network last year, saving 87 million litres of water a day, and investing £400m in new pipes.
Dr Neumann said of this: "That's what we want water companies to be doing... if they are going to throw money at investment and fixing leaks, I am all for it.
"However, it doesn't take away from the fact the Midlands is in drought. It feels like it is riding out the uncertainty and hoping it's going to be wet before having to implement any restrictions."
The company said this week "we can't escape how hot and dry it is and how little rainfall we've had this year".
Are hosepipe bans effective?
Yes, Dr Neumann said, because they can reduce consumption by between 2% and 7% daily, depending on the level of public compliance.
She added: "The good thing about the bans is they also make people more mindful of the water they are using. It has a dual purpose: not just stopping people using hosepipes, but also bringing water conservation onto their daily agenda. So they might think about taking a shorter shower, or investing in a water butt for when it does rain."
Will there be more hosepipe bans?
Dr Neumann said they will continue because of climate change, but water companies can mitigate shortages with investment.
"If water companies sort out technological investment and fix things like leaks - which cause a 20% loss a day - they can claw back a lot of their water resources and we might not need so many hosepipe bans.
"But we are certainly going to continue to see heatwaves, droughts and extreme and chaotic weather. In the short to medium term, we can expect to see more hosepipe bans if we continue to see summers like this."
Read more
Can you water the garden during a hosepipe ban? (Yahoo News UK)
Up to five more regions could face drought this year, Environment Agency says (PA Media)
Watch: Southern Water becomes latest company to bring in hosepipe ban amid dry weather
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